Condemned Devotion
by FallenCrusader
Summary: When love turns into a deadly obession, no one will survive... Snapped!Countries Rated M. Ivan/Oc, China/Oc, Canada/OC
1. Chapter 1: Finding of a Gruesome Display

**Condemned Devotion **

**Chapter One: **

**Findings of a Gruesome Display**

Warnings: This story is not for the weak/faint hearted. If you can't handle any mental/physical violence (and I draw the line at a certain point), then I suggest you don't read this story.

It's rated M for Mature for a reason.

_This story has been co-written alongside a deviantART friend who goes by the name of Sakriphice. Anything mentioned in this fanfiction is real and has been researched extensively. _

_Enjoy this Condemned Devotion… _

**Axis Powers Hetalia © Hidekaz Himaruya**

**Original Cast © Their Owners **

-/-

It was a cold, miserable day. Rain fell, filling the silence with the endless _patter, patter,_ as leaves crunched. A year or two had passed, and the disappearances of the representatives of British Columbia, Canada, China, Romania, Russia, and Singapore, couldn't be ignored any longer. Their disappearances had been reported, the United Nations have exhausted every single clue and resource they could think of, yet nothing was found. However, with their absentness, the others began to question. Letters were sent, people went knocking on doors – nothing. Not a trace of the representatives could be found, and when the locals were questioned, only vague answers were given.

That's how the search began, but after finding several clues, someone was ready to find them.

There they were, in the densest forest ever imagined – the Black Forest. Hidden right under their nose, how could they not tell? How could they not read the signs – the signs that the forest was protecting something, hiding it from worldly eyes? "You find anything?" a voice called out, a British rough accent hiding the worry in his voice. The person shined his flashlight onto the windows of the manor that stood out, the glare blinding.

"_Ja_, I have." The person grimaced, noticing the horrid smell, "However, I zhink we've come too late."

"Don't forget my brother!" an American voice shouted, pushing through and running for the door, "Comon' guys, let's go!"

"Vait," the German accented one said, grabbing him by the arm, "You don't know vhat is in zhere Alfred –"

"It doesn't matter Gilbert! I'm savin' him with or without you!" Alfred shouted, wrenching his arm free and running to the house. He started jerking on the doorknob. "Comon' you piece of shit," he swore, "My brother's in there – let me in!"

"Alfred, move out of the way," the British man shouted, "Gilbert's going to ram it in."

"Whaddya mean Art –" the American turned around to see Gilbert with a tree log. "Wowza, you can lift that thing?"

"I am German," Gilbert said, a glint of pride in his eyes, "Not only zhat, but I am awesome!" Alfred moved out of the way, as Gilbert charged, ramming the log against the door, which buckled under its weight. "Just a bit more!" he grunted, annoyed. Usually doors like the door present went down within seconds. Another ram brought it down, however, and the smell was worse inside.

It was rancid, smelling of blood, death, and rotting flesh. The corridors were dark, not a light was within the place. Silence; nothing was heard, but the rain and the wind; giving the group the impression that it was a tomb. A cold wind blew from the opening, embracing the three men lovingly. They strained to hear something – a voice, a scream – anything. However, all they heard was the rain, wind, and creaking of the house as it settled.

"I'll go look around on the second, third floors," Arthur said, casting a glance around the place, "And see if I can find anyone."

"Zhen I'll look outside," Prussia said, looking at the ceiling with distaste, "And see vhat I can find out in zhe gardens. Romania liked gardens…" silence, because everyone knew how hard Prussia was taking the disappearance of Romania, "First I vill find her room, and see vhat I can find. Von't take long." he headed for the stairs.

"Wait up chap, I'll join you." Arthur said, hurrying to join him.

"Whelp, smell ya later then," Alfred gave a two fingered salute, leaving Gilbert and Arthur in the foyer. "Dude," they heard Alfred say, before the door closed, cutting off his sentence, "This place is freaking BAMF –"

-/-

___**To Whoever Finds This – **_

_** When you find this letter, I will probably be alongside the dead. I understand that this is could be a shock to you – but the men; Yao, Ivan – even gentle Mathieu! – have gone insane. They claimed… they claimed that we did not love them, that we were "straying" from them. Yet, how can we love them, if they have treated us as such? I do not know what happened to the others. We have been kept separate from one another, as to not plan an escape. I saw them in passing, once. We were all wearing masquerade masks, yet we were told we would be put to death if we spoke. Even if we were to flee, the forest would be confusing, and we would probably die in there too. **_

_**Regardless, it seems that we are destined to die. **_

_**I pray that whoever finds this letter, will take it to the police, tell them what has happened here. **_

_**I'm scared; there isn't much time left. **_

– _**Lumi **_

"Zhat bastard," Gilbert shouted, pounding the desk, "He's had her locked up in here for zhat long?" It had been over two years since anyone has seen the missing representatives. Of course, during that time, Yao, Mathieu, Romano, and Ivan were attending the meetings, and also were curious as to their disappearances. Such an act – and they fooled everyone! _I'll show zhat Russian bastard zhat he shouldn't mess with family!_ Gilbert silently swore to himself.

"What," Arthur came running, hearing the scream of fury and the shout. He had been inspecting other rooms, majority of them were vacant. Some of them seemed occupied though, and he had been investigating what seemed to be Ivan's room when he heard Gilbert. "What is it?" Gilbert pounded on the desk again.

"She did nothing – nothing to deserve zhis!" he shouted, weaker now. "Why… why did it have to be Lumi?" That's when Arthur spotted the letter, and gently pried it from underneath the albino man's hand.

"Let me read it," he said gently, "Go outside, Gilbert, and look for her. She might still be alive, out there in the gardens." Arthur watched as Gilbert got himself together, and slowly made his way out of the room, but not before grabbing what looked like to be a ribbon; _Most likely to be Lumi's_ Arthur thought, as he read the letter. At first, her handwriting was hard to read, even with the torch. _Damn, I must be getting old…_ Arthur thought sourly, _I'll be needing glasses before too long… ah, here we go… oh dear God._ He dropped the letter as if it had burned him.

"That poor, dear girl… God have mercy on her soul." He whispered, and pulled out a jacket of matches. As the match caught, he took a shuddering breath. Arthur put the note over the flame, shaking the match out whenever the paper caught, and then placed it into a porcelain bowl that he had found. Watching it burn, he turned away, sorrow filled his heart, and his expression stricken – as if he had witnessed the horrors of what had happen in this dismal place first-handed. Perhaps he did – perhaps not.

"No one should ever know what happened here, ever."

Note: The reason why you peeps are getting this earlier than planned is because I have jury duty on May 14th and I don't know how long it would be until I could actually be free after finals. So here's the first chapter of _Condemned Devotion_! Sorry that it's so short.


	2. Chapter 2: Remembrance

**Chapter Two:**

**Remembrance**

Warnings: … It's Russia, comon'.

Dark!Russia

**Note:** From here on out, the story is a flashback, with some flashes to the present time. I should've mentioned that in the first chapter, but I forgot; my bad. Also, for those who are wondering, I'm sorry for not uploading this past Sunday. I had jury duty the following day (Monday) and so yeah. Also, next, _next _Sunday (May 27th) I'll be down in South Padre Island… so you'll get an upload twice (once on Sunday, and again on Thursday) that way I won't forget. Please review, before I update again. I don't want to see my story get lots and lots of love, but no words expressing said love. It makes me a sad panda. :C

Now, onto zhe chapter~

-/-

It was a beautiful day. Truly, it was.

The sun was shining brilliant and gold, the sky was a cloudless blue – summer had truly arrived to the Northern Hemisphere. Trees, bushes, and every plant variety were in full leaf, flowers bloomed and graced people with its fragrance; or bothered those with allergies. The bees hummed thoughtfully in the background, collecting pollen; butterflies flew and landed, gathering admiring looks and 'Ooos' and 'Ahhs'. The gates were open, from 8 in the morning to sunset, people were freely allowed into the gardens in which they admired. And if they wanted to sneak away with a significant other, they would walk through the maze to a dead end – it was another thing all together when it came to hiding. However, if they needed help, or if there was a country representative, they took a special path which ended in the centre of the maze.

There, in the centre, is where the representative of Romania lives, and through a special gate, does one entre a place of true beauty in nature. Sunflowers greeted with a gentle wave; dogwoods sang in their sunny patch. Lilies grew caddy-corner of the sunflowers, poppies giving way to a path that led to an ancient oak, where many other types of flowers encircled the area. A small man made brook burbled happily, an arced bridge giving access to the tree that grew majestically.

There, a young woman sat, her eyes closed to the gentle summer breeze, dozing. A book was in hand, forgotten, the pages rippling to the wind's touch, and the intruder smiled. Kneeling, they sat on their heels, watching the young woman intently. Should he wake her, or leave her blissfully unaware? Rocking on his heel, he looked around, a sharp violet gaze taking in the beauty. Another patch of sunflowers greeted his gaze, and he almost felt tempted to walk over and run a hand through them. He didn't have them at his home, so they were a real treat for him whenever he visited. _No_, he told himself sharply, _Stay on track, you can't mess up now. Too much planning – we can't let this go to waste_. He felt the bottle of chloroform in his inside pocket of the coat he was wearing.

Suddenly, by either chance or a sound which startled her, the young woman woke up, and blinked blearily. She looked over, still half asleep. "What are you doing here, Ivan?" she asked while smothering a yawn, and Ivan smiled back, all childish and innocent.

"Came to see you, Lumi, yes. Gate was opened." She frowned, puzzled.

"But the gate was locked, and I have the only key." Ivan smiled; knowing that in his pocket was a key he had duplicated from the original. Of course, he could've made a skeleton key, but that would have taken too long – he needed to act soon. Hopefully now, if it was possible.

"Perhaps you forgot to lock it, da?" Lumi hesitantly nodded; the puzzlement still in her eyes, but now for another reason.

"Why are you here, Ivan? Are you here because there's another meeting?" she was referring to the numerous meetings that had been going on, since the beginning of March. There had been an influx of attacks on everyone's borders, but no one knew if it were pirates, or God forbid: countries attempting to start another World War. Ivan, however, merely smiled.

"No, I come to see you, if that is ok?" she sighed, knowing that whether or not she was 'ok' with it wasn't relevant to Ivan. He liked to show up at the odd hours of the day (and sometimes night) just to watch her. It was rather unnerving, but she couldn't tell him to go away or to stop it – he'd get scary.

As in, ready to kill scary.

"Fine," Lumi sighed wearily, getting up. She was going back to the house – she didn't know why she had come out here in the first place. "You're welcome to stay, as long as you don't break anything," she muttered the last part, "like last time."

"Ne~" Ivan turned around with a curious smile, "What did you say, Lumi?" she shrugged.

"I said nothing," she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of freaking her out, like he did _every _time he came over. Vaguely, she remembered her gate being locked, but brushed the memory away with mild annoyance. If Ivan said it was left open – that meant she was being careless. She would have to be careful next time to make sure the gate was properly locked.

"Perhaps a skeleton key, yes; keys are handy, very handy." Ivan murmured to himself. "They let anyone in, anyone out; very strange, very sly." Lumi gave him a rather curious stare.

"Wha… what did you say?" she asked, edging away very minutely. The Russian blinked, a childish smile melting away the rather… peculiar look on his face.

"Say what, da?" he fiddled with his scarf. "I said nothing, not that I can recall, yes." He began poking her shoulder, "Lemonade now?"

"Tea," Lumi corrected him, "But if you must…" she sighed. Ivan cheered, and followed the Romanian like an eager puppy, and waited patiently outside the gate as she grabbed items that didn't belong in the garden. Musing to herself, Lumi questioned the reason why Ivan was here. Was it to bother her (she knew _that_, but there was something… off today), or was it to inquire little random things like her favourite colours, foods, and the like?

Normally, she would've brushed such things off, but when Ivan asks… she frowned, maybe she was over thinking this, and he was just harmlessly asking questions. But no, she reasoned with herself, with Ivan there is no such _thing _of simple minded questions like favourite colours and the like. There was something going on in that man's mind – and she didn't want to be a part of it. Turning back to face Ivan, Lumi carefully kept her thoughts out of her expressions; she knew how much of a snake Ivan could be, craftily pulling out the information he wanted by merely looking at one's expressions.

Passing Ivan, Lumi felt a sudden chill run through her, and she gave him another uneasy side-glance. He seemed normal – well, what was considered 'normal' for him. He looked puzzled at her, curious about why she was uneasy, probably. She gave a quick smile, to assure him everything was alright, hearing the gate shut and the lock sliding shut.

"Lemonade time, da," Ivan inquired, and Lumi sighed.

"Tea," she corrected again, and paused. "Are you sure you want to stick around? Doesn't Raivis need torture at the moment?" she inwardly winced, hoping that Raivis would forgive her. Ivan chuckled, and patted her head.

"No, today is not torture day." She sighed.

"Right, I forgot, today's Tuesday."

"No, today is Monday." Lumi gave him a half pause, and then shrugged.

"Days, weeks, months – same thing; rinse cycle repeat." She sounded bitter, but Ivan merely chuckled again.

"Oh, I know." Ivan said, with a smile that personally creeped Lumi out, "I know. You're used to it by now… and you always will. Time slips by for the normal ones, but for us, it seems natural, yes? Eternity, is slow – boring and neverending. Why not spice it up; give it some…" he paused, "_Flavour?_" Lumi unconsciously tightened her hold onto the box she was carrying, giving the Russian beside her an uneasy glance as a shiver ran through her.

Before Ivan could do anything, a couple came crashing out of the maze in front of them, both of them were giggling madly. The laughter died down when they realised that they were being watched, and the girl waved at Lumi enthusiastically.

"Hi there," she said, with a wink. "Sorry for crashing through, Lumi." She spotted Ivan, and gave a Cheshire cat-esque smile. "Nice catch," she turned to her companion, and they began to leave, "Later!" and they began giggling again, as if they had shared an inside joke. Lumi sighed, used to such event happening to her.

"They seemed nice." Ivan mused quietly, and Lumi snorted.

"They've all been trying." She muttered darkly, "and it doesn't work."

"Trying to do what?" Ivan asked innocently, even though he knew what she was talking about.

"She thought you were my boyfriend or whatever; and you know as well as I do that it can't happen," Lumi frowned at him, "Said relationship has to be nonexistent." Ivan chuckled.

"Do you wish you could be human, at times?" Lumi gave a hollow laugh.

"Human? We _are _human." Lumi paused in front of her house, head tilted. "It's just that we're slightly different is all." A single bell began to toll, to which parents began bringing children out of the maze, all heading to the main gate. Ivan glanced away, his eyes narrowed at the sun. Nothing had gone to plan, as of yet. He just needed Lumi to let him in the house – but she was being stubborn. People waved and gave her goodnight wishes, to which she merely smiled and waved. Soon, the bell stopped tolling, and the people were gone.

This meant that Ivan and Lumi were alone together.

Lumi turned to give him a puzzled look. "Shouldn't you be leaving?"

"You promised me tea, yes?" Ivan asked his childish manner back. Lumi raised an eyebrow at him.

"You do realise that everyone – that includes _you, _Ivan – leaves at the bell? I can't vouch for you if my boss finds out you're still here." Ivan gave her the most innocent look he could muster, and she sighed. Pointing to a couple of chairs and a porch swing, she said, "As long as you're outside – and you _stay _outside – you can have your tea." Not waiting to see if he followed her orders, she went inside, closing the door behind her. Ivan smirked, the innocence long gone.

_The real fun starts now_, Ivan thought, pulling out an unlabelled bottle and a handkerchief. A sinister smile, a flash of deadly violet; he easily walked up the steps, keeping in mind the creaky boards. "You made this way too easy, my pet." Ivan murmured opening the door silently; he held his breath as it opened, daring it to creak. However, not a sound came from the door, and he found himself in the living room. Darkness was all around, and he couldn't help but chuckle quietly. "Way too easy." He murmured, pulling the mental map out from its hiding spot in his mind. With a predatory grin, Ivan headed right, following the map that lay out before him in his mind's eye.

-/-

The harsh glow from the refrigerator slightly blinded Lumi as she pulled the ice tea that she had made earlier in the day out from its spot. An overhead light was giving a shallow glow over her kitchen, making the rest of her house seem like a dark cavern – full of dangers and enemies. However, the only thing her house held was corners and stairs that attack her feet. However, a sudden movement in her peripheral vision made her pause, and in a fit of panic, she flipped the lights off, moving silently against her counter and found her knives.

Pulling out what seemed like the cleaver, Lumi went clockwise around the islet that was in the middle of her kitchen, making her way over to the pantry. She hoped to get as far as she could get from the intruder – and hoped that whoever it was, they wouldn't find her. With her back against the counter, she passed the sink, and hearing the steady _drip, drip _gave her a slight fright. She was gripping the cleaver so hard; she figured that there would be an imprint on her hand.

Lumi heard the _click-click _of boots hitting the tiled floor, and she froze, holding the knife close. She was afraid – Lumi wasn't much of a fighter. Her heart was hammering so loud, she was sure whoever it was that was with her could hear the beats. She paused – hearing something sliding on the counter to her right. Slowly, silently, Lumi moved backward into something soft, and before she could scream, arms wrapped around her; holding her tight. She struggled, dropping the knife with a clatter; breath was at her ear, lips had touched her neck. Something damp was pushed against her face – a sweet scent –

And all turned black.


	3. Chapter 3: Suspicion

**Chapter Three:**

**Suspicion **

Warnings: Swearing.

Dark!China

Note: This chapter was really hard to write. I dunno why, but it was. This will also be updated next Wednesday. Also, Sorry if this seems short. I got stuck and suffered for it. _

-/-

Midnight – a time when anyone sane enough would be sleeping, snoozing away on a pillow and snuggled down into a nest of blankets. After a hard day of work, anyone would be dead asleep, and that didn't exclude Yu, the representative of Singapore. She had been dreaming of birds and a song, one that sounded like it was on harpsichord, but something about strawberry fields… until the shrill ringing of the phone downstairs woke her up. Yu groaned, rolling over to check the time. 12:01 A.M. "Whoever woke me up is going to pay…" she rolled over and landed on the floor on her knees, and gave another groan. "Too early…" she yawned, as another blast of shrilling from the phone went off. "Fine, fine," she sighed, tucking in a loose strand of hair. "If it'll keep you happy…" she muttered crossly in Mandarin, cursing the one who woke her up.

"What are you saying, Lumi's missing?" Yu asked crossly, one arm crossed and reflexively in a fighting stance. A garbled answer was given, and she frowned, "Well, why the hell aren't you looking for her; hell, what about Ivan the Stalker?" Her eyes widened slightly, and instantly gave a mental prayer to whatever god was listening at the moment. "You're telling me that they're _both _missing, and you don't find that the least bit odd? Honestly, I'd think you guys were báichī." She sighed, hearing more garbled words. "Fine, I'll keep an eye out; wăn'ān." She hung up, and sighed heavily.

"Great…" she muttered, stretching. Instead of getting dressed, Yu decided to flop back down onto her pile of pillows and blankets. "It's freaking midnight, and he calls; báichī." She grumbled, "I worked all day today, and I deserve sleep." She started to slip into dreamland, a faint smile on her face… until a banging on her door woke her up. Sitting up suddenly, Yu felt a strange sense of paranoia slip over her. More banging, no one calling out – just violently bangs on the door. Instead of calling out like she normally would do, Yu decided to take it safe and silently climbed up the stairs, before slipping into a room that would normally be under strict lock and key.

It was a room that only Yu – the representative of Singapore _and _former pirate – could entre.

The room was full of weapons – including cannons – from the days when Yu was a renowned, and dangerous, pirate. However, time was of the essence. Whoever was at her door, banging on it was going to have deal with her. Eyeing each weapon critically, she finally selected her old comrade: the qiang. She had normally would've used a dao, but due to special circumstances, she'd rather have a qiang on her side, but for old time's sake, she grabbed the weapon, and crept downstairs stealthily with both weapons in hand.

Whoever was willing to break into her home obviously didn't know of her past. Or if they did, it would be _extremely _foolish of them to encounter her in a dark corridor of her home.

-/-

Sitting in the dark of her closet, Yu went over every single possibility that could go wrong. She leaned her qiang against the wall, knowing it would be considered useless in such a cramped space. A firm hold on her dao had her thinking of all the possibilities that could go wrong. The robber could easily leave, finding no one home and thus ransacking the place; or the robber would happen to find her, and just like a jack-in-the-box, she would spring and cut his head off before he even knew what hit him. Light footsteps could be heard downstairs (Yu had very sharp hearing), a slight shuffle.

"Not here either…" the person swore in Chinese, "where could have she gone? I know she's still here – otherwise Lán sè would've left." Yu silently cursed – that's what she forgot. However, how did the intruder know of Lán sè…? She frowned, and tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword. Yu sighed, and looked up at the ceiling, which was concealed by the many clothes that she had. She was about to nod off, and shook her head vigorously, trying to shake off a yawn. "Oh, what is this?" Yu heard the intruder pick something up and cursed herself. How foolish of her – to leave the phone lying on the ground! She could've called for help – but this time, she was the báichī. Instead of going out to fight, she stayed where she was, trying to not fall asleep. It would be foolish to go and engage in a fight that she couldn't win.

It wouldn't do much good for her to simply fall asleep.

However, her body was tired – it _demanded _that Yu slept. After the surprisingly tough workout she had gone through, along with massive amounts of paperwork to do, the day was draining. The adrenaline rush was ebbing away, replaced with a dull feeling. _Maybe… just for a minute or… _her head landed on the wall, her hair falling over her face. She felt tensed, ready for action, but her face seem to radiate a calmness that would've fooled anyone.

Yu was asleep within minutes…

… And moments later, she was rudely awakened by the door being ripped open. Jolted awake, Yu tried to fend the intruder off by swinging the dao blindly, the adrenaline making her reckless. "Get away from me, I'm warning you I know how to fight with this!" she screeched, screaming all sorts of things in a mixture of English and Mandarin. Yu fought back like a cat, lashing out with her dao rapidly, causing the intruder to get cuts all over their limbs – until she judged her attack too late, and with a dull _thok _–

Yu was out like a light.

-/-

Author's Note: Ok, I know that you all are sick of hearing excuses, but damn was the first half of my summer break hectic. I meant to update this story sooner, but I got side-tracked and kidnapped and stuff… so yeah, sorry! ;; I'll try to keep everything flowing more smoothly from now on!


	4. Chapter 4 Enchantment

**Chapter Four:**

**Enchantment **

Warning: None.

Note: Surprisingly, this one was the easiest to write. I guess Mathieu and Erin are the easiest characters to write. XD Again, will be updated next Wednesday.

Also, gotta love Devious-yet-Innocent Canada.

Dark!Canada

-/-

Erin, not knowing of her friend's predicament, was currently at home, snuggled deep in a blanket with her cat, Mattie, for company. A cup of hot cocoa was sitting right next to her on a coaster, a book in hand. It was the weekend for her, and work was very slow. Normally on such days, she'd still be at work, trying to find something to do, but for some reason, she didn't feel like going in. Instead, she opted to just veg for the day, and not move unless it was necessary. The hot cocoa was actually a gift from Mathieu, the representative of Canada, and she was determined to finally try it.

The shrill of the phone, however, caught her completely off guard. Shoving her cat, Mattie, gently off of her so she could get it, Erin couldn't help but wonder who it was. It couldn't be the office, surely? There was nothing of urgent business that she knew of, and if there was something wrong, then… she frowned, answering. "Hello?"

"Erin?" It was Mathieu. She instantly gave a shy smile, and blushed slightly.

"Yeah, what is it?" perhaps he was curious if she was trying the hot cocoa?

"There's… been a problem." Erin paused in her reading, and sat there, her mind blank. Before she could ask, however, Mathieu continued, "Lumi and Yu have disappeared – no one knows where they are. Are they with you perhaps?" Erin frowned, and shook her head no.

"No, they aren't. I would've known if they were hiding in my apartment." She said rather dryly. "Perhaps they're just visiting the other representatives?"

"That's the thing, Gilbert hasn't seen Lumi since three days ago, and Yu's house looks like it had been ransacked – and with her disappearing, people are beginning to question both of their whereabouts." Erin began to shake, gripping the phone tightly. What did this mean – why would someone kidnap her friends? "Erin, are you still there?" she blinked back to reality, and tried to not let the fear seep into her words.

"Yeah – I'm fine. I will be. Don't worry about it, Mattie." She was visibly shaken, afraid of going out. "Do..." Erin paused, afraid to put her fears into words.

"Do what, Erin? Do you want me to come over?" he asked, concerned.

"No… I was… just…" she took a deep breath, "Do you think I'm next? Because Yu was friends with Lumi… and since Ivan's been known to take things to the extreme…" Erin trailed off, and Mathieu 'ahhed' in understanding.

"I wouldn't worry about it, Erin. If you want, I'll drop by later this evening to check up on you before I finish up for the evening." Erin smiled timidly. Mathieu always knew how to make her feel safer.

"Thanks," she whispered, and Mathieu smiled on the other end. Erin was such a sweetheart, yet a timid mouse; someone who would be easy to take away.

"No problem." He smiled faintly, before ending the call. He then felt his cellphone buzz and frowned, pulling it out.

**Got Lumi in place, da. **

** Alright – are you sure we should go through with this? **

He waited for an answer, tapping his fingers impatiently on the table. He looked out his office window, to see the Quebec traffic spread out before him. _How simple minded they were,_ he thought, _and yet no one could have pulled this off – if it weren't for Ivan telling us what was happening… if only we had spotted it earlier._ A few buzzes and his eyes flew to the messages. Mathieu smirked, and then pushed his chair back, grabbing his coat.

**Do not give in yes! Keep fighting – remember what I told you, da? **

** Now, go get the medication. It is where I left it, yes. **

** We will let them see the errors of their ways.**

**And then they will join us. **

-/-

Erin sighed as she stared at the book, the words now meaningless. Where were her friends – what could she do? She began to dial Arthur's number, before realizing that her father was probably busy, and didn't want to talk to her anyways. In frustration, she threw her phone at the wall, scaring her cat, Mattie. He jumped into her arms, his fur fluffed, and claws at the ready, eyes wide. Scooping him up and cradling him, Erin shh'd him.

"It's ok Mattie, I'm sorry for scaring you like that. It's just…" she sighed as she nuzzled him, and he purred comfortably, kneading into her shirt. "I'm worried for them, especially Lumi. What would happen if Ivan tried anything funny? I know it was him. No one else would do it, unless she left unexpectedly to visit someone…" she tried to come out with plausible explanations for her friend's disappearances, but nothing added up.

Erin eventually got up and picked up the phone from where it was at, and dialled Gilbert's number. Maybe he knew something.

"Hallo?" it was Ludwig who answered. Erin gulped; she wasn't used to talking to either Germanic brother.

"Um... is Gilbert there?" she asked tentatively. She heard Ludwig sigh.

"Ja," was all he said and she heard momentarily silence, before another voice picked up.

"Hallo, zhis is Erin, right?" Erin blinked; how did he know her name? "Don't zhink I'm stalking you – meine kleine schwester told me if zhere vas trouble I vas to call you. I meant to earlier, but I got sidetracked."

"Um, I just wanted to ask if there was anything found at Lumi's house, you know, when she disappeared…" she trailed off as Gilbert sighed.

"All I know vas zhat zhere vas an unlabelled bottle found at zhe crime scene." _Crime scene_;that's what it was called now; it wasn't "Lumi's house," or "meine kleine schwester's house," just _crime scene. _That word swirled around and around Erin's head. "It vas chloroform; zhe bastard attacked her from behind."

"Is… is there anything else?" she asked timidly. There was a deeper sigh than before.

"I looked over for her, Erin. I cannot find her. When I find zhat bastard Ivan, I vill not spare his life." Gilbert said with cold finality, it scared her.

"Okay… well, keep me in loop, Gilbert." She hung up.

"I vill," He whispered to himself, closing his hand into a fist. HE closed his eyes, and then snapped them open, staring at the sword hanging on the wall. "Old Fritz taught me vell, he did. Vhen I find meine kleine schwester… zhat man vill vish zhat he vas dead." He stared at the letter on his desk, and sighed. "If only…"

-/-

Erin sat on her couch, curled up with the book from before in hand, trying to keep herself distracted. After calling several people about both Yu and Lumi's disappearance, she didn't go out. She snapped her blinds shut, and made sure that all the locks on the door were secure, and even drew the deadbolt. That's how scared Erin felt at the moment. She wanted nothing more than for this evening to end, and wished that she could find something to do other than sit there, reading. A knock at the door drew her attention away, and she got up, kicking off the throw blanket, and made it to the door.

"Who is it?" she squeaked, not daring to look through the peephole.

"It's me," Mathieu said, his voice muffled, "Can you let me in?" she finally mustered enough courage to look, and it was indeed, Mathieu, with a paper sack in his arms. Flustered, Erin drew the deadbolt back and unlocked the rest of the door.

"Sorry, it's just, with my friend's disappearing…" Mathieu smiled, nodding in understanding.

"Don't worry; I know how it's like." He shook off imaginary dust. "It's windy out there today." He muttered crossly, and Erin laughed a little.

"Were you using that whisk again?" she asked, and he mock glared at her.

"Quit it with that joke," and Erin had to smile.

"Sorry, it's just that Lumi –" she made a strangled noise, and Mathieu looked over at her worriedly.

"We'll find her," he said softly, managing to put a hand on hers. "We'll find her _and _Yu – alive. Have faith." She gave a weak smile.

"Yeah… I should." She watched as Mathieu walked into her kitchen, putting the bag down with a grunt. "What'd you bring?"

"Pancake mix," he looked at her over his glasses, and she started fidgeting. Erin always fidgeted when Mathieu looked at her like that. "Figured you'd be hungry, and since you've been worried sick for your friends…" he trailed off, and Erin smiled.

"Thanks Mathieu, I owe you one." Mathieu shrugged.

"It's not a problem. I enjoy making food. Papa Francis should be proud of me." He made a face, and she giggled – Mathieu always tried his hardest to make her feel better. Erin made her way back to the couch, and put the book she was reading on the end table. She turned the t.v. on, and started to flick through the channels. _Already seen it; not interested…_ in frustration, Erin turned it off, and picked the book back up. She flipped through it until she found her place, and began to read.

Mathieu stared at her, watching carefully as he began to make the pancakes. His cellphone was right next to him in case Ivan or Yao texted him, and he also needed to know how much of a dosage he needed to give Erin. It wasn't as if he were an expert on such things, since he had no problems sleeping whatsoever. That would explain why the pharmacists looked at him rather strangely for buying such things, but hey – he needed them.

"Mathieu," Erin asked quietly, shaking his thoughts free, Mathieu looked up, "You're practically burning the mix, with such intense staring. Is everything ok?" he gave her a smile – a fake, but she bought it.

"Yeah," _Don't let her know you're about to betray her, _he thought to himself, concentrating on now pouring the batter into the now hot frying pan. _Don't break – Yao told me she… _he let that thought hang, and looked at Erin quickly, as his cellphone buzzed. _Ah, the instructions._

_**Four or six tablets will do. **_

___Will it kill her? _

_**No, simply crush them and add them to the mix. She'll never know.**_

_Must be Yao, Ivan must be tormenting poor Lumi at the moment. Either that, brainstorming said torture. _Mathieu thought as he did as the text told him. He quietly closed the phone, making sure that Erin was not watching. She wasn't – in fact; she seemed absorbed into that book of hers._ Good _– he thought; it'll keep her from suspecting anything. He noticed that her cat was napping on the back of the couch._ I'll have to deal with him as well, as much as it pains me to do so. _"Would Mattie like some milk?"

Erin looked up from her book, slightly startled. "Um, sure, he usually has a saucer before bedtime though…" Mathieu smiled, and quickly crushed two tablets before pulling out the milk. He felt bad – he did, but he didn't want the cat to attack him as he carried Erin out of the place. "Thanks Mathieu."

"No problem," he said, dispensing the powder into the milk, and stirred it a little – just to get the powder dissolved into the milk. Mattie came up and rubbed up against him, obviously smelling the treat that he was about to get. "Here ya go, Mattie." He placed the saucer on the floor, and watched as the cat lapped it up, and then watched as he crawled into his little nest on the floor, and was out like a light.

"Must be tired, poor guy," Erin sympathised. Mathieu 'humm'ed in agreement and flipped a pancake in the air, having it land on the plate, fluffy and golden brown. "That was amazing, Mathieu! I never knew you could do that!" Erin exclaimed, watching him with warm eyes. He blushed.

"It's just a trick that Papa Francis taught me. Claimed that it gets a crowd, but I never really tried it until now." _Because I want you to think of me highly before what happens to you, my sweet. _Mathieu thought, before smiling slightly. "I forgot, how many did you want?"

"Um, two will do fine."

"Coming right up," Mathieu said, pouring the next one already. _So close… _his phone buzzed.

_**What is the hold up?**_

Mathieu sighed, and quickly poured the batter, and then grabbed his cell, quickly typing back.

_I have to get her to trust me. It's taking longer than I thought._

_ She's worried for her friends – she's convinced that she's next._

_**Hurry – the others are wakening. **_

_**We've kept them under for so long, that we fear we may kill them.**_

_**Ivan is getting nervous.**_

Mathieu sighed, but didn't reply. It wouldn't be worth the trouble. Flipping the pancake, he weighed his options. Give her the pancake now, and watch her slowly succumb to the drug, or make the extra pancake and watch her slip faster. _Options, decisions – they're the same thing, _Mathieu thought irritably. He flipped the pancake one more time, before having it land on top of the first pancake. _And done, _he walked over and gave, with a flourish, her food.

Erin smiled, "Thank you, Mathieu." _Don't smile – don't smile at me like that. _"They look delicious!" _No, no don't eat them – they're drugged. I'm confused… I'm lost… _"You've done so much for me…" _I've done horrible things, Erin… I… I helped with… _she grabbed his arm, and he looked at her blue eyes. "It'll be ok, right Mathieu? Everyone will be ok?" _No, no they won't – we've have very horrible, horrible things in store… _

"Yeah," _no—nothing will be alright. Why don't you believe me? _"Everything will be alright; I promise I'll protect you. So eat up, ok?" he smiled. _In the end… in the end you'll… _She happily chowed down, and the drugs eventually began to take effect. The fork fell with a clatter, her eyes closed; so trusting, so naïve – _why did it have to be her? _

Mathieu sighed, and picked her up gently. She was so small, fragile. He left her apartment, and carried her to the car. After placing her in the backseat, he got into the driver's seat, and pulled his phone out.

_I've got her. Asleep – drugged. _

He snapped the phone shut, and turned the car on.

_You shouldn't have trusted me, Erin._


	5. Chapter 5 Forsaken

**Chapter Five:**

**Forsaken **

Warning: N/A

Note: God damn it Ivan Braginski, you're a creepy sonvuabitch, but I love you, you Russian bastard. /3 Also, in the first chapter, I noticed that I had put Romano in there. However, he isn't in the story. Ever. A friend whose character was originally a part of this (and Romano's obsession) decided to drop out because she wasn't really into Hetalia anymore. Sorry for the confusion! ;_;

-/-

Where in the world was she?

Nowhere, had Lumi felt so helpless, so lost, so confused – until she woke up in a room that quickly turned into a prison. Ivan constantly visited her, showered her with gifts, promised her many things – promised her everything but her freedom. If she tried to say anything, he twisted it, painting a beautiful picture with the wrong colours. If Lumi even dared to go along with it, he got the wrong idea. Ivan assumed that she was in love with him, but playing hard-to-get. She didn't love him – at all. In fact, if anything, Lumi would love to be _anywhere_ but here – with this man.

If there was a hell on earth, then this was the place.

Lumi was in her own personal circle of Hell, she surmised, and Ivan was her tormentor. Never leaving, unless it was for business or night-time (and she shuddered at the thought of him staying any longer than ten at night). She couldn't leave this room; Lumi was forced to stare longingly out the window, at the garden that was within reach. So close, yet so far… she wanted to run her fingers through the soil, to feel the tickle of the leaves, smell the scent of the grass and the surrounding flowers. Ivan wouldn't allow it of course. She'd run off into the forest – and he was right. Lumi would rather take her chances in the forest surrounding this damned place than be here a second longer.

It was on such a particular evening that Lumi was, in a moment of sneakiness, had swiped a cellphone from a servant, who carelessly misplaced it. She waited until they had left, and began to dial everyone and anyone she could think of: Erin, Yu – even Feliciano. Not a single call went through. By the time she was done trying, Lumi was in near tears. So much, for what; nothing – not even Erin answered! Hands shaking, she began to dial Gilbert's number – hopefully he would pick up, she reasoned – when the door opened.

Giving a strangled scream, she leapt behind the couch, determined to hide the phone. However, Ivan knew something was up, and hauled her up to her feet, and grabbed the device out of her hand. "Now, what is this, my pet? A cellphone, pet, you know these are prohibited. Who gave this to you, love?" and threw it carelessly at the wall, watching it shatter with a wicked grin and ice cold stare. Backing away slowly, she realised how much of a dangerous situation she had gotten herself in. If she wasn't careful, Lumi could end up dead, right now, right this minute. "Who gave that to you, pet?" he asked – no, demanded – stepping forward one, and she backed away three. "Tell me, do not try my patience." Gone was the childish, sweet Ivan; this one was malicious, and cold.

He knew what he was doing.

"I took it off one of the servants," she whispered, backing away another three as the Russian stepped forward again. "I… I was just going to –"

"No." Ivan said, cutting her off. She winced, and looked at the ground. "The servants gave it to you, yes? Whoever it was, will be punished." Another step forward and another three back, until she found herself at the edge of the bed. Trapped, she realised, knowing this is what Ivan had wanted to do.

"D-Don't punish them," she squeaked, as he grabbed her by the arm, "I-I took it off of th-them. I-I was go-going to c-call Gi-Gil –"she felt herself be pulled into a tight embrace; and wriggled, trying to get out, but froze when Ivan's lips landed near her ear.

"Don't say his name, pet." He whispered, "You hear me, _do not say his name_." she gave a whimper, but nothing could come out. She was too scared to say anything. "Now," he began to stroke her hair, lovingly almost. "Why would you want to leave? Especially after the trouble I took to get us alone…" he stopped, and pulled back to look at her eyes. Frightened, terrified. He shivered with the unknown feeling that coursed through him, and could almost taste her fear. Ivan decided to try another tactic, and let her go, and began to wander aimlessly around the room. Perhaps she'll open up more… or give him a bit more of that feeling… the taste of pure, unfettered _fear_. "Remember that night, when we danced? Wasn't it lovely?" she shivered slightly.

"Ivan…" she said tentatively, bracing herself for the storm that was to surely follow, "we… we never danced." Ivan froze, and then gave her a smile.

"Of course we did, my pet. Remember the night showing of Swan Lake? We danced right after it, under the stars." Lumi stared at him with a sense of loss. What could she say? Whatever she did say, he twisted it. She knew, in her heart, that they never danced. In fact, she often stayed as far away from him as it was possible for him. "Your German friend – _do not say his name_ –" he spat, as she was about to do so, "– has tainted your memories. He has ruined them; destroyed our precious time together." Lumi nodded mutely, keeping her head down. _There was no reasoning with him_, she thought despairingly.

Ivan stared out the window, watching the moonlit garden glow. _Yes… your memories will come back, my pet. They will…_ his smile grew feral. _And then… and then you'll see the light, truly. You will never want to leave_. He heard Lumi move around, and he could see her; curled up in a ball on the loveseat, frightened and weak. There, he realised, there was the pure, unfettered fear.

And it tasted delicious.

"If…" he heard her whisper, "If you say so, Ivan." He had to give a soft chuckle at this.

"Oh," he murmured quietly, "Oh, I know, my pet." A knock at the door drew his attention away from the young woman's reflection in the mirror, and he scowled. Walking over, Ivan spoke quietly. "I should warn you, that if you try to flee, you will be shot. Goodnight, my pet." And he disappeared, the lock sliding with an audible click, to which Lumi flinched at.

She felt bad for anyone who received his unbridled anger.

_My death warrant has been handed to me_, she thought bleakly, looking outside, _signed and ready… just need a confirmation on the date_. Despite the warm air that was blasting through the vents, Lumi felt a shiver of cold down her spine. The finery in the room did nothing to ease her happiness – the sunflowers that were on the desk did nothing to ease her mind. They didn't belong to her – they belonged to the man who brought her here. _I need to get out of here… but… but how_? She looked at the window, and instantly crossed that off her list.

A soft knock on the wall startled her, and Lumi looked up, looking ready to bolt for cover. More knocking, a tap, tap, pause then one more tap. Could it be…? She quickly went over, and softly returned the tapping, waiting with baited breath. More knocking and Lumi gave a sigh of relief. Someone was here – not just her and Ivan. She felt elated – giddy. Until the knocking ceased, and she heard someone at the door, and knew who it was: Ivan. Scrambling, Lumi bolted for the loveseat, getting back into her curled ball. But this time, she was smiling on the inside.

She had an ally in this condemned place.


	6. Chapter 6 Realizations

**Chapter Six:**

**Realizations **

Warnings: N/A

Note: Um, sad chapter ahead, warning you now. Sorry it's so short, but if I had it originally, then I would've given out a HUGE spoiler, and I didn't want to do that. Thanks to M4DTR4CK3R and PandaFanForLife535 for reviewing!

Without further ado, onto the chapter!

-/-

The rain had ceased its tormenting barrage against the Prussian, who was scouring the outside of the house for any signs of life. So far, nothing – save for a scatter of dried up rose petals mixed with sunflowers. _Vait a minute… sunflowers! Mein Gott I'm stupid. _Gilbert thought, pausing in mid-step. He was in the backyard, where there was a rather deep pond to one side, and a luscious maze garden on the other. _Of course, it vould make sense…_ he headed towards the maze; trying to find an answer. Trying to find some sense in this twisted dimension…

She had to be here – she _had _too.

-/-

"Have you found anyone?" Arthur asked Alfred, when he was joined by the American in the kitchen. There had been no sign of anyone ever living here – no servants, nothing to indicate that three young women and men had been living in this dismal place. The American shook his head no.

"Haven't found Mattie, have you seen him?" Arthur felt a flash of irritation surge through him, but restrained himself. They had to stay alert and unbreakable; for the girl's sakes, if not their own. "Damn," the American sighed despondently, running a hand through his hair in annoyance, "how hard could it be to find just one person?! This place is freakin' huge!" Arthur sighed.

"If we were able to bring reinforcements, this wouldn't be much of a problem." The Englishman gave another sigh. "As it is, Gilbert is mad with worry over Luminita, and I over Erin's and Yu's state." Alfred felt something brush by the nape of his neck, and whirled around, only to confront open space.

"Dude, did you feel that?" he asked Arthur, who gave him a cross look.

"Now isn't time to play those silly games," the Englishman snapped, "We are looking for our family members! Not to play Let's-See-If-Arthur-Is-Insane." Alfred whipped his head back so fast he almost gave himself whiplash. Grabbing Arthur by the collar, he felt his anger rise.

"I'm not joking Arthur! I felt something –" he was cut off by someone screaming.

"_Oh mein Gott_," They both looked at each other.

"Gilbert's found someone!" they both said to one another simultaneously.

-/-

_Zwei years… Zwei years and finally… for zhis; really, God – aren't you punishing me enough? First, you take Old Fritz… and now her? Why – why? _Gilbert thought pounding the ground next to him. He finally found her, alright. A marker, two simple crosses was all it took. But… but there was no way; she had to still be alive. She had too. There was no way she would've let that man get his way… he let out a strangled noise – unfettered and raw. It was a nightmare, he decided; a very cruel, very _real _nightmare. This was God playing a cruel trick, and that Lumi was really hiding out there in the forest. Of course, it would be impossible – he knew the Black Forest well enough that anyone ventured within was never seen again.

"Gilbert," it was Arthur, who came running first. When he saw the markers that the German man was sitting next to, he slowed, and finally slowed to a halt. He gave a heavy sigh. _This was it_, Arthur thought, knowing better than to say anything, _the final resting place of Lumi… how sad, yet relieving. She's in Heaven now… she's freed from the torment that Ivan had put her through._ He knelt down next to Gilbert, and patted the man's shoulder rather awkwardly. "She's safe now, old chap," he said quietly, "She's in a better place…" Gilbert shook the Englishman's hand off roughly, letting out another raw scream of rage and sorrow mixed.

"It's… it's not fair!" he sobbed, his mind revolted. Lumi was alive, she had to be. This was a fake – it had to be a fake. But no, it was reality, bitch-slapping him in the face telling him the cold hard truth. "She couldn't be dead – couldn't, Arthur!"

Lumi was gone. There was no happy ending for her.

"Hey dudes, what happ – oh…" Alfred's energetic-self disappeared, and he, along with Arthur, watched as Gilbert's world began to shatter. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, the American felt slightly awkward, mumbling, "I'm so sorry dude… she was like, your sister right?" Arthur sighed as he dodged whatever Gilbert had thrown at Alfred.

"Idiot," he reprimanded him, dragging Alfred by his ear, "Comon', let's leave Gilbert alone so he can mourn in peace. Besides, we still need to find the others."

"Dude, Arthur that _hurt!_" the American whined, after being released from the Englishman's grip. He met Arthur's scowl with a glare and then stopped.

"You moron, don't you realise how much pain Gilbert is in? Honestly, you aren't _that _thick-skulled, are you?" the Englishman snapped, not waiting for an answer, and just walked away with the shake of his head. He couldn't believe the man, honestly! Gilbert lost whom he thought was family, and he had the audacity to _say_ such things?! The Englishman sighed, and began to aimlessly wander on the grounds.

Maybe they'll eventually find the end to all this madness…

But no matter how hard they try, no matter how hard they wish…

Nothing would ever be the same ever again.


	7. Chapter 7 - Night of Masks, Part I

**Chapter Seven:**

**Night of Masks Pt. 1 **

Warnings: None

Note: Hey look, for once, some humour! :D

… And then it got creepy again. /sigh

-/-

It was dark when Mathieu opened the door to Erin's room. Nervous, he flicked on the lights, casting a glow upon an empty room. He blinked; a seed of panic began to grow as he wandered around the room. Where could have she gone? She was ready – the things that he had the servants take to her room weren't to be found. The Canadian found himself in the middle of the room, and he stared at the window. She wouldn't have…? To be sure, he tested the windows. Stuck – exactly how Ivan had told him. So if Erin hadn't climbed out of the window, where on earth could have she gone?

"Erin?" he called out, trying not to panic too much. If he had done that, then Ivan would get involved, and he didn't want Erin to receive the brunt of the Russian's anger. Ivan had been on the edge ever since Lumi had evicted him from her room by slapping him. Who knew the timid Romanian had it in her? "Erin, don't do this… please come out." Mathieu heard a giggle, and he smiled. _So that's how you want to play it_. Mathieu headed for the bathroom, making loud stomping sounds and said loudly, "I don't know where Erin could have gone. Maybe I'll ask someone else to join me for tonight." He knocked on the bathroom door (as it had been closed) and peeked in when he didn't get an answer.

No one.

"Huh, so my date wasn't there." More giggling and Mathieu had to suppress a smile. He was supposed to be mad, but how could he when this was so damn fun? He then stomped loudly towards the door. "I guess I'll go alone tonight, and wallow in my sorrow." A gasp from the direction of the closet met this statement, and the Canadian stealthily manoeuvred to the closet while staying out of sight. Mathieu knew where she was hiding at now. "Oh where, oh where, could Erin have gone?" he called out, standing in front of the closet, his back facing it. He heard the door open behind him, and someone tackled him from behind.

"Here I am~" Erin called out, and Mathieu turned around and laughed.

"I caught you," he said teasingly, and Erin pouted.

"Nu-uh, _I_ caught _you_." She said, and Mathieu chuckled, as he picked up her mask from where she left it.

"Right, you caught me. Now, I do believe someone forgot about this…" Erin blushed, and took it from him.

"Sorry, I heard you come and I wanted to see how long it took for you to notice where I was. I guess I got in a hurry and forgot my mask." Mathieu shrugged.

"It's no problem. Besides, next time I'll know where you'll hide." Erin laughed, and shook her head.

"That'll be the day that hell freezes over." She told him, and Mathieu gave her an affronted look.

"Oh yeah," Mathieu demanded, and Erin nodded.

"Yeah"

"Then it's a challenge." he said, offering his arm.

Erin smirked in response, looking pristine in her mask, "Challenge accepted."

-/-

Ivan escorted Lumi down, watching her carefully through his mask. Tonight couldn't be a screw up, if there was one; then they would all have to scratch Plan A and start working on Plan B. So far, there was no hitch, but he knew that if one servant collided with his little pet and conversed with her while he was away; everything would go up in smoke… literally. He grinned happily to himself, imaging the inflictions of torture upon the non-existent servant. Perhaps the Bloody Eagle torture or perhaps even burning the soles of their feet – no, no… he would have to something special to the servant.

Talking to _his_ pet would be punishable… not death, no, but something so horrific that they would be _wishing_ for their death. Ivan just might give them that escape. Maybe not; it depended on how merciful he felt towards them in the end, after all. Lumi shifted in his grasp, and adjusted the mask she wore, a white cat mask – a mirror opposite of his. The dress she wore was luscious; he could tell that it was the right choice. Dark red with black trim, gold accented it nicely as well. The white mask – it showed how innocent, how naïve she was. Her eyes popped nicely, and went well with the mask he chose. Her normal loosely held back brown hair was done up, she wanted to impress him, how nice. Such a tousled look, ringlets cascading nicely; surely she wanted to show her status? Well, he was impressed – the way his pet held herself gave him the sense of royalty. It gave her such a pure, pure white.

It would be tainted to the darkest black by the end of the evening.

He almost felt giddy about it, but Ivan reigned in his excitement. Everything would have been for naught if he let his emotions get the better of him. Lumi was not completely his doll yet. He had to keep his motives hidden, until she was too blind to see them… figuratively, of course. It wouldn't do to hurt his pet like that, no, no of course not. She was too precious to him, like a porcelain doll, a ballerina, if one would compare her to.

"Um…" she uttered, and he perked up, she spoke! "Ivan, where are we?" Ivan grinned, _that is right_, he thought as he led her down another corridor. _She had never left her room beforehand…_

"We are almost to the dining area, do not fret." He assured her, as a servant passed the pair, but not once stopped to talk. Good. Ivan narrowed his eyes, watching the Romanian carefully. She seemed afraid, but why? He wasn't going to hurt her… not yet, anyways. Tense silence between them, that wasn't good, and needed to be corrected, the Russian thought as they paused before a pair of doors, a servant hastily rushing forward to open them.

"The dining area, milord and milady," the servant intoned, bowing as they walked in. Ivan caught the servant winking at the girl on his arm, and narrowed his eyes dangerously. He would find this servant later… for now, he would content himself on the thought of coming up of ways to torture the impudent whelp.

-/-

Yu gritted her teeth as she adamantly refused to leave her room. How dare Yao drag her here, and then lock her up like some caged animal. _I'll show him_; she thought as she refused to answer the insistent knocking, _Yao'll learn to mess with me! I didn't become feared on the seven seas for nothing._ There was muffled talking at the door, and swearing in Chinese. Yu smirked, and looked at the disgusting piece of cloth that was draped over a chair with disdain. It was a simple, yet elegant Chinese dress, and the mask that supposedly went with it was purple, edged with silver, in the shape of a dragon. The dress itself was beautiful, but it came from the man that kidnapped her, and Yu had standards.

And that didn't include clothes from her kidnapper.

"I refuse," she shouted again, flicking open a fan, waving it restlessly. She needed to get out of here, and fast. The window was out of the question; it had been permanently glued shut, and she had already tried throwing a chair through it. Instead of breaking the glass, it bounced off like the glass had been made to be non-breakable. She cursed as she stared at the outfit again. Why did Yao want her to wear that in the first place? Yu wasn't one to flaunt a status, let alone a treasure…Yu snapped her fan shut, anger making her shake. That's what it was. Tonight was the night that the men would flaunt off the women they had kidnapped – that's what it was.

This irked Yu even more. She was a pirate for God's sake– she wasn't some damsel in distress! In fact, as soon as she had woken, she laid in wake for the kidnapper to come into her room, and socked an eye out in the process. Of course, Yu was surprised that it was Yao, of all people. What did she do to him, to deserve such treatment? When he came to, Yao had tried to calm her down, but ended up getting slapped and then thrown out.

That's when she barred her door from people entering; unless, of course, it was merely a servant bringing food. Yu wasn't going to let Yao get to her mind – she knew better. She knew how to take care of herself. The people she was worried about (as the servants openly talked around her, as they thought of her as mute) were Lumi and Erin. She knew that Erin was too trusting towards Mathieu and may land into a trap, whereas Lumi would eventually succumb to Ivan's ways. Through intimidation or some other means, Yu knew, deep in her heart, that Lumi wouldn't last much longer in this hellish place.

"Yu – open this door!" Yao demanded, pounding on the door, "If you don't, I will tell Ivan, aru! You don't want to disturb his evening, do you?!"

"If it keeps him away from Lumi, then yes, by all means, tell Ivan!" Yu shouted back, placing the fan back on her bed. She got up and started to look around the room, a plan already formulating in her mind.

A plan to get out of this nightmare.

-/-

Ivan felt a buzz and frowned. Now, of all time, someone had to call? He sighed. "Pet, I must leave for a while." Lumi flinched, as if she were in trouble, and nodded meekly.

"Al-Alright," Lumi said quietly, and Ivan laughed softly, patting her before leaving, giving a short glare at the servant at the door – only it was a different one. Good. As he walked out in the corridor, he flipped open the phone and saw the text message. It was from the Canadian – Mathieu. _What was the problem,_ Ivan wondered as he scanned the screen.

_**We need to have a meeting; now. **_

___Now of all times? _

Short wait, and then Ivan got a reply.

_**It's important, hurry.**_

What was so important that it made him leave his pet's side, Ivan wondered, as he began walking in the direction of the study. What could it possibly be? Surely Mathieu had not had a change of heart – it was too late, he was in on this, and he wouldn't be backing out. Ivan would make sure of it. The Russian just had to hope that his pet was doing alright…

-/-

Erin looked around her, only to be disappointed. Mathieu had disappeared, and there wasn't anyone else to talk too. He mentioned that Yao was bringing someone, and so was Ivan, but she hadn't seen anyone else yet. Erin sighed, and noticed that there was a blank piece of paper. Without anything else to do, and before any of the servants could spot it, she grabbed it.

_Maybe I can make paper cranes while I wait… _

-/-

"What was so important that you had me come? Do you realise what danger my pet is in?" Ivan said frostily, and Mathieu gave him an even stare. "What, are you afraid to speak your mind? Don't forget who helped us get to this point!" the Russian snarled, his violet eyes turning into ice.

Mathieu stared back with the same intensity. "I still think this is wrong," he said calmly, keeping his hands down. "For all we know, he could be wrong. After all, he isn't the brightest crayon in the box – even you should've doubted about what he told us." Ivan snorted, and crossed his arms, looking away.

"Don't tell me that girl has you twirled around your finger."

"Leave Erin out of this," Mathieu snapped, "I'm telling you – this isn't the answer! There has to be another way." Yao, to this point, had been silent, but now he felt like he had to speak up.

"Think about it, aru. If we just let the girls go as of right now, we'll be in major trouble, perhaps stripped of our representation status, aru. Do you want to go through many courts, juries, and have the world out for our blood? The girls wouldn't trust us either, and bar us from ever seeing them again." Mathieu remained silent, and Ivan nodded wisely. "We stick to what we are doing, aru. There is no going back – we knew that from the beginning." Yao stood.

"Besides, he would find out and try to kill them himself, yes." Ivan added, and Mathieu sighed, feeling defeated and his hands tied.

"I know… but isn't there another way? Any other way?" the young man pleaded, and both Yao and Ivan shook their heads no.

"I'm sorry, aru, but there is no other way. Not with us getting flung into jail for God knows how long." Yao replied calmly, and Ivan nodded slowly.

"No other way," the Russian repeated. Mathieu sighed.

There was no other option.

They had to finish what they started.


	8. Chapter 8 - Night of Masks Part II

**Chapter Eight:**

**Night of Masks Pt. 2 **

Warnings: Murder, violence, drug usage (not by main characters), sexual harassment… do I need to continue?

Note: So, this chapter is gonna be a troll on you people… fair warning. Also, please don't use drugs, or try to piss off a Russian. But mainly, **don't do drugs**.

They aren't good for you.

-/-

"What are you doing?" a voice asked, causing Lumi to jump guiltily. She had been staring out of the window, out at the gardens, or rather, trying to look out to see the gardens. She whirled to see the servant that opened the door for her and Ivan grinning at her. Lumi scooted back, unsettled, as he came closer.

"Just looking outside," she told him, and he looked at her and laughed. He shook his head and pulled her away from the window.

"You can't see anything, silly. It's dark out." He told her, steering her towards the opposite end of the room. "Besides, what could you possibly see out there?"

"The moonflowers of course," Lumi replied, curious as to why he was asking such questions. Surely as a servant he would know about the plants in the garden. He laughed and shook his head.

"Forgive me milady, I don't work in the garden. I'm confined here to the manor, which houses beautiful ladies such as yourself, and the man who you came with." Lumi blushed and looked away, unused to such compliments.

"Oh… I see." The servant tugged her towards a door that the Romanian hadn't spotted as she had come in. "Wait… wait, where are we going?" the servant winked at her.

"You wanted to see those flowers, right?" Lumi nodded, uncertain. "Well, I can take you to 'em. I know the shortcuts in the entire manor." He opened the door, and bowed briskly. "This way, milady," Lumi eyed the door anxiously, and stepped back.

"On second thought…" the servant grasped her wrist tightly. "Wh-What are you doing?" she demanded, as the servant pulled on her arm, forcing her to walk through the door. "H-Hey, what are you –"

"I'm getting you out of here, that's what I'm doing."

"Wha, wait!" Lumi exclaimed, startled. The servant reached for her mask, and took it off. He pulled a blindfold out.

"I'm going to blindfold you, only as long as it takes for you to get out of here. I can always say that the Ruskie got tired of you if anyone else questions." Lumi nodded faintly, and allowed the blindfold to be tied on.

"I hope you're telling the truth," she whispered, and the servant smirked, although she couldn't see it.

"Of course I am. I was sent from Interpol to find out what was going on and rescue anyone I found." This lifted Lumi's spirits. Interpol had stepped in? Perhaps this nightmare was almost over, and she was about to wake up! Yeah, that's what was going on! She allowed the man guide her down the hallways, a firm grip on her elbow, talking to her quickly. "First off, we've gathered that there are two more women here, and they're being held captive. However, you're my priority; Ivan's had some big plans in store for you, from what I've been briefed on, and the United Nations are aware of such acts, and sent me in to find out what was going on and to free any of you, if possible." He continued to tell her things that didn't make sense, but Lumi accepted them all the same.

Whatever got her out of this hellish nightmare was perfectly fine with her.

However, every faerietale dream must end with a harsh reality, as the man guiding her stopped, and pulled her close, and the words that he spoke chilled her to the bone, "Hello there, Russian representative, Ivan Braginski."

-/-

"Yu let me in aru!" Yao demanded, pounding on the door. Che, this girl was annoying as ever – why wouldn't she just follow what he demanded? If she had, then this whole night would have gone smoother and over with already. Not only that, but Ivan was getting impatient. That man knew nothing of patience, and Yu was a handful as it was. In frustration, Yao signalled to the servants. He had enough of this. "I'm breaking the door down now, Yu." He warned, and just as the servants got into place, the door opened to reveal Yu wearing the dress that he had given her.

"What?" she asked, as he stared. "Well, say something." She snapped, and he blinked rapidly, before signalling to the servants to leave. He knew that Yu couldn't see the relief in his eyes, due to the dragon mask of which he wore, yet Yao couldn't help but also feel a surge of pride and arrogance. The die is cast, the representative thought, abandoning his previous train of thought, and surely Yu had fallen to his power.

"Looks like you've finally changed your mind aru." Yao said; preening as Yu held up her fan to her face, staring at him intensely from the mask. There was no emotion shown, and she was like a lone soldier standing before thousands of foes. Foreboding, the chances against her – and yet she wore her wounded pride on her sleeve. Yu was a formidable opponent in this game, Yao acknowledged, but she let her emotions get the better of her at times. Rash actions meant harsher consequences – he was glad that she was smarter than most who gave her credit.

"I decided that it would be a wasted effort on defying you." Was Yu's simple reply, as she walked alongside Yao, her back stiff and her eyes were cold. It was obvious even to Yao that she wasn't happy about this arrangement, but she would as she was told… for now. He watched her in his peripheral vision. There was something that the Singaporean was holding back, what it was, he didn't know.

However, he wouldn't let that spoil their night.

"I'm glad that you have finally seen the truth behind my lies, aru." Yao replied, and Yu nodded stiffly. What was wrong with her? She should be grateful that he chose her out of hundreds of others. Of course, it helped that they knew one another beforehand, but still. A little gratitude would be appreciated.

"Of course, I was wrong, and I was in a panic," she said, fanning herself, "I thought I was brought here to die, of course. That's why I fought back. I realize that I was wrong." Yao twined his fingers with hers, and gave thanks to whichever god was watching over them. Yu had finally given in, which mean that Yao had won _this_ chess game.

_Checkmate, Yu of Singapore. _

-/-

"My, my, what were you doing to my pet, hmm? Poisoning her mind, setting her free? No, no, this cannot do. It is a pity." Ivan stepped out in front of the duo, ice in his veins and a temper to rival a dragon. He heard every word that the interloper had said – not a servant indeed? _Well then_, he thought with a grin as he stepped in front of the pair, _the more fun it will be tormenting the man… how dare he touch her. _"Let her go, yes. Unless you wish for your life to forfeit." The man glared.

"I refuse! I know your plans, Ivan Braginski, and I'm going to drag you to council if I have to drag you dead! You'll pay for your crimes before they're committed!" Ivan had to laugh at these words.

"Crimes, what crimes do you speak of, yes?" the interloper grounded his teeth, and pulled out a revolver, pulling Lumi out from behind and into his grasp, an arm around her throat with the barrel of the gun pointed to her head. Lumi had gasped, and then squeaked in fear when she felt the metal touch her. At this, Ivan bowed his head, his eyes glowing darkly at the man. "Let. Her. Go."

"Give me a good reason," The interloper said with a grin, "and I just might. Although, I may want to have my way with her first," Lumi didn't say a word, but to her credit did bite the man. "Eyowch!" the man swore, and pulled his arm back, choking her. "Do that again," he whispered in her ear, "And you'll suffer worse." A whimper and Ivan began to smile.

In a very, very creepy way.

"Very well then," Ivan said, all of the sudden cheerful. Shall we take this to the chapel yes? That way we do not give everyone a fright?" the interloper glared, and nodded slowly. Ivan opened the doors before them and allowed them to entre, trying not to snarl at the way the man was handling his pet. Gone for a mere thirty minutes, and this happens. _We should have been more careful picking the servants to serve tonight_, Ivan thought ruefully as he closed the door behind them, the noise masking the _click _of the lock. _Oh well, no matter_, Ivan thought with a sinister smile.

"So, let me see if I got this right," the man said arrogantly, clutching Ivan's pet close to him. "You'll stand there, completely defenceless, as I have my way with your little pet here," Lumi struggled again, only to have the revolver's barrel shoved against her head forcefully, "and if you make any sudden movements, I shoot you. Got it?" The man mistook the look on Ivan's face for compliance and let his hands wander down, while Lumi squirmed. Ivan had to give her credit, despite having the gun pointed at her head, Lumi was very defiant.

But still, that was a very wrong move for him to make.

Ivan pulled out a tranquilizer gun (or what looked like one) and before the man could even say a word, the Russian had fired it right at his arm, causing him to shriek in pain and push Lumi away roughly. Before the Romanian could hit the ground, Ivan quickly moved and caught her, and pulled back as the man began experiencing a very bad trip on LSD. He then swiftly unlocked the chapel doors and pushed Lumi through before following, locking it back as soon as he got through, and led the poor thing down the corridor and back to her room.

-/-

Mathieu looked around and noticed that Yao and Yu were at the table, and he and Erin were (obviously) there… so where was Ivan and Lumi? "Excuse me," he said to Erin softly, getting up. She looked up at him, curious, as he left the room, pulling out his cell. Dialling, Mathieu began pacing in the corridor. What happened, where were they?

"Hello?" _Finally_, Mathieu thought testily.

"Where are you? Everyone's waiting." There was a pause, and then.

"Ah, sorry yes; cancel the dinner; we have a problem." His voice was cold, that wasn't good, Mathieu thought calmly, and nodded.

"Alright, how bad," Mathieu asked, curious.

"Currently a man with a revolver in chapel; on bad LSD trip and he hurt her, Mathieu." Ivan said calmly, _too _calmly. That's when Mathieu realised that Ivan wasn't mad. No, no, Ivan was _pissed. _

"Alright, we'll call the dinner off." He said quietly, knowing it was better to agree than argue with Ivan in this mood.


	9. Chapter 9 - Flipside Emotions

**Chapter Nine:**

**Flipside Emotions **

Warnings: Does contemplation on murder count?

Note: In this chapter, we figure out who the mysterious person is! Le gasp~!

-/-

"So is he talking?" Mathieu asked, as Ivan came into the study that the duo (Mathieu and Yao) were sitting in. Mathieu had been reading a book, and Yao had been studying documents that had been sent to them.

"Not yet, yes; hopefully soon." Ivan said with a smile, and Mathieu shuddered slightly. He felt pity for the man who was currently residing in the stagnate pool on the unused side of the mansion. The scaphism method of torture is something he never wished on anyone… well, other than the man downstairs. Had it be Erin… he shook his head to get rid of the unpleasant images. "Is…?"

"She talking; no, hasn't been for a while." Mathieu said, gesturing to the small television screen on the desk. "Lumi's been silent. I don't think she's quite over her ordeal just yet." Ivan scowled, his eyes dark, but then shook his head.

"Well, at least she thinks of you as a hero aru." Yao commented, looking up from the papers in front of him. "Yu still defies me, only slightly. I think she's given up aru."

"Erin's ever trusting, which isn't surprising. She's gullible." Mathieu said, turning a page in his book. "She'll be easy to kill, no problem."

"My, we've gotten quite sadistic, haven't you?" They all froze, eyeing their visitor cautiously. Ivan was the first to speak.

"What are you doing here, yes?"

-/-

Yu sat back, pleased with what she had constructed. Granted, it was made out bed sheets and whatever else she could find, but she wasn't going to stick around a minute longer. Nightfall, she decided, was the time to disappear into the night. Now, she thought, all she had to do was wait patiently. Yu hid her plan in a drawer, knowing that no one would dare think about looking around 'her' things. First, she had to get ready. She needed to show Yao that she 'submitted,' and would willingly leave her room to dine with him. Yu eyed the dress – the one from the botched masquerade – and sighed in annoyance. _Scrap the dress_, she thought, searching through the masses of dresses that had been in the closet. This was _not_ her room; Yu refused to think of it that way. _I need clothes that would give me freedom of movement, so when I… Ah. _Yu grinned at her find. _Truly Yao, you are helping me in more ways than one… _

Her find was a rich purple Chinese halter top, with gold patterns of dragons dancing on it; and it had backside straps (a good and bad thing), which showed off more skin than the dress, but Yu wasn't going to complain. In addition to finding the halter top, she found a pair of black pants (Chinese style, again; Yu noticed. This guy seriously had an ego) that had frog treat style buttons on the side. _Perfect_, she thought, pulling out a pair of black flats. _Now to finish off this… _she picked up a pair of hair-use chopsticks that were purple with gold flower design, and smiled thinly to herself.

Yes, Yu of Singapore was surely blessed.

-/-

Lumi was sitting alone on the bed, quiet and unresponsive. The servants ignored her, taking away barely touched food and drink, seemingly miffed that it was going wasted. It wasn't her fault, really. That night had terrified her, when that man blindfolded her. She thought that she was going to be freed… only to find out that it was safer… truly safer to be with Ivan than with anyone else. The outside world scared her, the thoughts of what could've happened if Ivan wasn't there were horrifying, and Lumi constantly sought a way to keep herself occupied… but it was in vain. There was nothing else to do, but sit on the bed and think about the '_what ifs' _and the, '_what could have happened if Ivan wasn't there'. _

Maybe she was wrong, the Romanian thought quietly, maybe Ivan was really trying to keep her safe… the incident could've been avoided if she didn't listen to that man… she berated herself on that harshly. What kind of representative was she, if she couldn't keep herself safe? Maybe Sadiq was right; maybe she shouldn't be in charge of her country… the door opened, causing her to break out of the mental berating she had inflicted on herself, to reveal Ivan. She blinked, tilting her head to the side cautiously. What was Ivan doing here, wasn't he torturing that man…?

"Hello pet," he said, and she blinked in response. "I see you aren't talking… again." She ducked her head sheepishly. What was the point of talking, if she was going to be berated? Lumi knew better. "Are you sure you're doing alright, pet?" she nodded her head vigorously, beaming a smile. There wasn't any point in getting him too worried. Lumi watched Ivan walk over to the corner of the room, where that camera had been installed a few days ago, and grabbed hold of it. Of course, she thought, he was going to get rid of the camera… right? With a _snap_, Ivan broke the camera, holding it in his hand. It looked like it had suffered an attack; wires poking out of it and it looked to be hollow. "There, distraction gone. Speak now, please pet." Lumi winced, that wasn't a plea: it was a demand.

"H…Hi..." her voice was thick and grating, obviously from lack of usage. Ivan poked his head out of the door, demanding for a glass of water, before closing the door again. "What happened to…?"

"Still alive, barely though; been about ten days… I'm surprised he's still alive." Lumi gave a shudder, that wasn't missed. "He's paying for it, pet. He's paying for it."

"I know…" Lumi trailed off as there was a knock at the door. Ivan opened it, took the glass of water, and handed it to her.

"And I heard you haven't been eating either." Lumi winced. So he knew. She nodded, and cleared her throat.

"I couldn't… not with that camera. I hate being watched." She shivered. "No privacy." Ivan nodded, and crossed over to open the window, tossing the contraption outside to land in the dirt. He then snapped the window shut, and Lumi winced at the loud _bang_ that the window had made.

"No more," he said quietly, and she nodded. "Now," he walked over and tilted her chin up so he could look at her eyes. "Promise me you'll start eating again." Lumi nodded.

"Promise," she said quietly, and Ivan smiled, patting her head.

"Good pet."

-/-

Alfred walked through the door of the study. It was dark and quiet, and there was a stale smell. Obviously people hadn't been in this room for months, dust lingered on everything, covering them with a thick layer, like a blanket. The carpet looked like it would send up clouds of dust if stepped on. Alfred noticed, with the help of a flashlight, that there was a small television. Curious, he walked over and noticed that there was an unmarked tape still inside. Without even touching the tape, Alfred turned and carefully walked out of the room. He knew what would be on them, he didn't want to see.

"It looks like you guys succeeded, how wonderful." He pulled out a matchbook, and began striking them against the striker. "Damn," he swore, as the first one broke, and he pulled out another. "I'm happy for you, honest. You guys deserve the peace and quiet. I'm sorry about Arthur." He dropped the broken match, swearing again.

"And that German guy, what's-his-name, Gilbert. They shouldn't be trespassing. Whatever happened to that Interpol guy that was caught sniffing around here, I wonder." He mused, his glasses glinting in the dim light, trying not to blind himself with the flashlight that he had stuck under his arm. Finally, he thought, and dropped the lit match.

"Hope you three don't mind me doing this, but figured you would want this to be our little secret after all." He watched as the fire spread, greedily eating everything in its path. Alfred grinned, and closed the door behind him.


	10. Chapter 10: There once was a Caged Bird

**Chapter Ten:**

**There once was a Caged Bird… **

Warnings: Character Deaths, shameful references to popular anime, suicide, and violence/bloodshed.

Note: Wow, we're getting close to the end of this lil' morbid story. How sad. Will there be cake? Also, I'm literally only three chapters away from the end. Do you, the readers, want me to continue updating until they're all up or wait until the end? Food for thought. Haha, food.

**Do not attempt suicide. Seek professional help if you are thinking about ending your life. Trust me, it isn't worth it… I lost a friend to such acts. Just, seek help.  
Transformers © Hasbro and TakaraTomy**

-/-

The plan was perfect, Erin decided, looking at the floor maps and scribble notes. Nothing could go wrong, nothing. Mathieu was going to give Ivan the slip, and they were going to hide in the chapel until the coast was clear. Then… she gave a small smile, and then they would be home free. But they weren't going home… no. Mathieu promised to take her far away, so far away, that no one would find them. They would be alone, together… but a part of her was sad. She couldn't go back for her cats… _But that's okay_, she thought, _because he promised that we'd get new ones, and they'd be just as good as Mattie… Oh Mattie… _She reached up and readjusted her glasses so that they wouldn't fall. _I wish you were here… I need you. _

Erin paused in her daydreaming, curious about the sound. It was as if there had been a slam… but there hadn't been anything from Lumi's side of the wall. She's been strangely silent. Mathieu mentioned in passing that Ivan had taken care of whatever ordeal that caused the dinner to be cancelled (which was alright with her, she got to have a private dinner with Mathieu), but he hadn't mentioned anything else… Now reaching the point where her curiosity was going to be the death of her, Erin picked up the empty glass and headed for the conjoining wall that she knew _someone _was on the other side. "What the?" she murmured, putting her ear close to the wall. Either these walls were thin, or she had exceptionally good hearing, but she could swear that she heard Ivan.

"Torture," the muffled voice came, and she froze. _T… Torture; b-but he couldn't have found out!_ Erin panicked, but then quickly calmed down – there was someone else speaking.

"I hope he dies," Erin gasped, holding a hand to her mouth. That was Lumi… right? But why would she want Mathieu to die? _Don't tell me…!_

"Ah, but not yet, my pet; soon, I promise." She heard Ivan say, he almost seemed… happy. Erin dropped the glass and kicked it under her bed, as a servant began to open the door. She went over to the desk and folded the papers, answering the inquiry of the servant that they were drawings, and didn't want them to get ruined.

All the while, she sat there, terrified, anxious – hoping that Mathieu would come back alive to explain what was going on.

-/-

Yao frowned as Yu was escorted into the dining room. She wasn't wearing the dress that he had instructed her to wear. But, the Chinese man amended the purple and gold was a lovely contrast, so he wasn't going to be picky. After all, he mused, this was the final end of this little chess game. He was the victor, Yu may be defying his orders by not wearing what she was supposed to wear, but she was following orders; and that's all Yao wanted. The cuffs she wore were a light lilac colour, the halter top was Chinese style, a dark purple with gold flowers, with black frog treated button Chinese pants, and black flats. Her hair was in a simple, yet elegant bun, held together by two purple chopsticks with a gold floral design. _A masterpiece_, he mused, _Yu, you outdo yourself every time I see you. Perhaps you are telling me something…? _Her eyes, however, were still cold and unfeeling. Hopefully, that will change in her final hours.

"Well," she finally said, still standing, "What did you want?" Yao narrowed his eyes slightly. He indicated to the couch before her, telling her without words to sit down. "I'm not sitting until I'm told as to why I'm here, Yao." He sighed, _so stubborn… but I guess that's what I like about you. _

"You're here because I wanted to visit; I've been neglecting you." It was the truth, Yao admitted, he and the other men had been so busy with the arrival of their unexpected guest, and the intricate planning that he and Ivan had thought over. He refused to admit that the Russian scared him, because it would be considered a sign of weakness. "So I thought we would share an evening tea together, if that's alright with you." Yu sniffed.

"We couldn't have it in the garden, at least?" Yao shook his head, knowing what his little songbird was getting at.

"Of course not, you would run away, and we can't have that, can we Yu?" he said with a smile. She didn't smile back.

"I haven't had a breath of fresh air ever since I came to this place, if I'm going to die here, can't I at least have one bout of fresh air?" Yao felt his smile slipping, and gave her a hard stare.

"No." he said, "and that's final." Yu sighed.

"Then I guess I have no choice." She walked over and picked up a chair that had been placed by the window, and threw it at the glass. A great _crash! _was heard, and Yao shot up, barking at servant to bring his weapon, as Yu grabbed hold of the edge of the frame (ignoring the cuts on her hands) and flipped out of the room and onto the roof. Her footsteps were heard as she ran to the other side.

"Hurry up, aru!" Yao shrieked, jumping up, "She's getting away and you're dawdling! I should have Ivan burn you _báichī_!" Yao snarled as he ran to the window, looking out. The servants that patrolled the ground were calling up and asking what was going on, and Yao began barking orders that Yu was not to be allowed to leave alive. They saluted, and began passing on the message. Yao felt the anger that had simmered under the surface begin to seethe. How dare she, he thought, how she dare do this to him! Had he not, out of the kindness of his own heart, allow her out of her rooms? Is this the repayment for doing such kindness? Defied in every single manner? Yao grabbed the weapon from the servant that had finally rushed in, and without another thought, followed Yu out to the roof. He ignored the pain in his hands, as his anger took over.

Someone was going to die tonight, and it wasn't going to be him.

-/-

Yu waited behind one of the chimneys, feeling the cold steel of the knives in her hand. Blood stained them both, from where the glass had cut in her hands. She could feel the pain pulsating as the blood flowed, but she couldn't stop now. She was so close to freedom, so close she could literally taste it. She checked the other weapons she had been able to smuggle on her person: about six forks, eight knives. She had to deal with the fact that it was extremely uncomfortable, but Yu was going to bear it. She wanted out of here, and that's what she was going to do. No more being helpless, no more confinement. Yu was going to be a free bird after this, and there was no stopping her. She gripped the knives so hard that they would leave impressions on her hands.

"Where are you, my little songbird…" it was Yao, and she tightened her grip even more, if it was possible. He was baiting her, Yu knew that. "Songbird, where'd you go? Come out, and I may just let you live." _Lies; _in the shadow of the chimney beside the one she was hiding behind, she quickly flung a knife at him, and heard a yelp from the man following her, and smirked. "She stabbed me!" he shouted, pulling the knife out, inspecting it: a butter knife. He twitched. She stabbed him… she stabbed him with a _fucking butter knife? _

That bitch.

"Where are you?" he snarled, holding a hand over the wound to keep him from bleeding to death. "Where are you fucking bitch, aru?" he swung his sword out in a random direction, and another spot of pain erupted in his side, and he saw a fork protruding from the side. With a scream of rage, Yao began to see red. "Answer me!" he snarled, and a calm, cold voice answered him.

"Right here." He looked up, and was greeted with a kick to the face. Falling back and landing roughly on the tiled roof. Yao gave her a dirty look. "You shouldn't keep yourself out in the open like that, Yao. You might end up as a pin cushion." Yu said calmly, jumping back as Yao got to his feet and swung his sword.

"Why do you continue to defy me, aru; I have done everything in my power to make you happy, and yet you still resist! What do I have to do in order to get you to sing for me?!" he demanded, and Yu pulled out a pair of butter knives.

"Let me go."

"Never!" he spat, "I will never do that! You are mine, aru! You belong to _me_, and only me!" Yu frowned.

"Then I want nothing to do with you. Che, we once used to be so civil to one another. What happened to you, Yao? What caused you to do this?" Yao began to shake, and in a fit of anger, he attacked – too fast for Yu to register, she was barely able to protect herself. She found herself walking backward, and tried to think of another plan to get out of this. However, by the time she actually thought of one, she had been forced to the edge, and Yao reached out, grabbing her by the throat.

"Sing for me," he snarled, "Or die" Yu gave him a defiant glare, and then closed her eyes in pain as he began to enclose his hand; her breath was being choked out of her. "Answer me, aru!"

"Heh," she said, "you never learn, Yao."

"Is that a no?" he questioned, and she smirked.

"I'd rather die, than be a caged bird – I will not become like Lumi." Yao let her go, and she began to fall.

"Then I guess its checkmate, Yu. Goodnight… sleep tight." He watched as she fell into the pond, her eyes wide with horror, hand outstretched to him. She fell into the pond with a _splash_, and force enough to possibly kill her. Satisfied, Yao began the task of returning to the manor, calling off the patrol and retrieving what little scraps of cloth he could find.

-/-

When Yao returned to the room, servants had first aid already in preparation and allowed him to be fussed over. He felt relieved – and yet at the same time, empty. "Bring me the tea," he said quietly, and the servants looked at him.

"Master, are you –"

"I said bring it, báichī!" he snapped, and the servant scuttled away. The wounds meant nothing, he realised that now. Watching her fall like that, it was as if she were a feather, carried away in the wind; too bad that they would all die. He almost didn't want her too, but then the words that had hardened his heart and hatched this idea came back to him, and he felt nothing but a sense of justice. _That whore_, he thought bitterly, _how she dare proclaim such things to me_. The servant bringing the tea hands' shook, as the tray shook badly, and the tea cup rattled. That irked him.

"Put it down, if you can't carry it." He snapped, kicking and shoving the servants from his wounds "Leave; now." They all fled. He stared at the tea, a calm smell – Jasmine. He smiled softly, and picked up the cup carefully. It was hot, and that's exactly how Yao loved his tea. 2.5 was the overdose rate, and Yao knew that the morphine would send him to a dreamless sleep until eventually killing him.

He downed the tea, placed the cup on the table, leaned back, and closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

-/-

"So he's going to die?" Lumi asked her eyes wide. Ivan smiled, and reached over to tousle her hair.

"Ah, but not yet, my pet; soon, I promise." Lumi's face fell, but Ivan continued to smile. "Think about, my pet. The fact that we have his life in our hands… we could make him twist and squirm all we want, but he won't get away." Lumi gave a tiny smile, and Ivan pulled her close, sitting her on his lap, kissing her hair. "I won't let him hurt you again, pet."

"I know you won't," Lumi said, resting her head on his shoulder. They stayed like that, simply enjoying one's company.

"I know," Ivan said suddenly, breaking the silence. "How would you like to see him? He won't go anywhere near you, pet, that I do promise." Lumi looked up at him, blinking.

"Is it alright for me to leave my room…?" Ivan flicked her nose gently.

"As long as you're with me, you may leave." He said, and she smiled shyly, then the smile faded to a blank look.

"Then I want to see him die, Ivan." He grinned, shifted so that they were both standing.

"Let us go then," he said, holding his arm out, and she smiled, taking it.

-/-

At first, all Lumi could hear was screaming. It sounded agonizing, raw, and full of pain. Of course, when she realized what kind of torture was going on, she covered her eyes, leaving Ivan to chuckle as she hid behind him. "Silly, don't worry about a thing, he can't get you."

"Not that," she squeaked. It took Ivan a minute, but when he realised why she was hiding behind him, he chuckled, and Lumi felt her cheeks burn. "Not funny," she protested, but stayed behind him all the same. The Interpol eloper was under a form of torture called scaphism, and he was delirious. However, that didn't mean that when he noticed Lumi hiding behind Ivan, he began pleading.

"Please, please, forgive me, forgive… please." The man was trying to speak in coherent sentences. "I'll… I'll do anything; _anything_!" Ivan gave velvet, sinister grin, and looked behind him, one eye on the man.

"What do you think we should do, my pet?" she looked up, her eyes cold.

"Shoot him." She said simply, "he doesn't deserve forgiveness."

"No, _no_ please no!" the man begged, but Ivan smiled, raising the revolver. "I'll tell you who sent me – anything!" Ivan paused at the tug on his coat.

"Pet," he inquired, not moving his eyes from the man.

"Let him speak… then kill him." She said quietly, hiding her face in his coat, and he nodded. Ivan then returned his attention to the man.

"Who sent you, yes? Tell me." No answer and Ivan pulled the trigger back, the air cracking with the shot, and then a scream as the man had his balls shot off. "Answer, you are stalling." The man whimpered. "Was it the United Nations? Who was it – answer, or next time it is an organ." Lumi unconsciously tightened her grip on Ivan's coat. She didn't want the United Nations coming… they'd take her away from Ivan… she didn't want that.

"Ivan, don't let them take me away from you… please." Lumi whispered, he nodded, his gaze still trained on the interloper.

"Don't worry pet, no one will take you away from me. Now," he cocked the hammer, the next bullet ready to go. "Answer me, dog; unless you want to suffer more pain."

"It was an unknown person – we just got information from an anonymous source – I swear that's the truth!" the interloper said, his voice strained and cracked – Lumi could hear the tears and the pain in his voice… _perhaps it was time to end his suffering_, she thought. "Please, please let me go – I won't tell anyone, I swear it!" Lumi tugged on Ivan's coat, he tilted his head curiously, and stood on her tiptoes, whispering in his ear. He grinned.

"An excellent idea, my pet," Ivan said calmly, the interloper couldn't see them, and he aimed for the heart. "Thank you for your services, you may go now." The man began to cry in relief. "But my pet here thinks otherwise. Goodbye."

"Wait –" the shot rang out, hitting his heart successfully. Blood began to seep into the pool, turning it into a murky colour. Lumi smiled quietly, pleased at the silence that now filled the yard. That man was gone; no one could tell the outside world… no one could take Ivan away from her. Ivan whirled around, and he gave her an odd look.

"Why are you smiling, pet?" Lumi looked away shyly, still smiling.

"It's nothing."

-/-

Mathieu sat in the study, contemplating over the plan. It was near perfect – just a few minor adjustments. He stared at the desk in front of him, for so long that it almost looked like he was attempting to put a hole in the wood. He had what he needed: Chains, lock and key, the dagger. Everything was here… but why did he feel a perpetual sense of guilt? _Perhaps,_ he thought, _that this wasn't the answer_. Logic dictated that it was, but his heart said that there had to be another way. The confliction made his head hurt, but it wouldn't go away. It kept circling in his head… it kept leaving the doubt to fester. He closed his eyes, and Erin's image popped up. She looked so happy, so carefree. He remembered the time that Alfred had invited the entire North American countries (including the provinces and all fifty states, out of which only ten showed up) to watch a movie at his house. It was Alfred's choice in movies (Transformers), in his opinion, but to see Erin's smile as she had whispered "This is so awful," and giggling quietly as Alfred cheered on the Autobots. "We're watching a movie about robots, and the only one who is even remotely interested is Alfred."

Mathieu sighed, as the memory melted away, "those were such simpler times," he said quietly, picking up the dagger and studying the gleam. "Why can't we go back to them?

_I wish I had never listened to him…_


	11. Chapter 11 - The Curtain Falls

**Chapter Eleven–**

The **Curtain Falls **

Warnings: Violence, Character Death.

Note: Um… this was kinda bittersweet and/or creepy to write. Dunno why though.

… Oh wait, because it's Russia.

Damn it.

**And Then There Was None © Agatha Christie**

-/-

Ivan smoothed Lumi's hair lovingly. This was it, he thought, a shiver coursed through him, this was the night where everything would be done. He looked outside the windows, where the servants were preparing what he personally titled, "The Farwell Dinner". His little pet was sitting on the floor in front of him, her eyes closed; probably wondering what was the "surprise" that Ivan had in store. Eventually, Ivan knew that he would have to leave, to get ready (and her as well), but for the moment, he was content. The woman he loved was near, it seemed like this moment would be frozen in time forever – just the both of them, alone in this room.

"Ivan," Lumi The spell was broken, with her quiet voice. That was alright, Ivan mused, he didn't say anything, but she knew he was paying attention. His hand paused in its action, and she moved so she could look up at him. "What's going to happen tonight?" she was so innocent, so naïve – such _perfect_ prey. He chuckled quietly in response, which caused her to frown a little at him.

"It's a surprise, yes. I can't tell you." A sigh and Lumi went silent, and moved so that she was still staring at the wall. Ivan laughed a little, soft. The sunflowers were swaying gently in the breeze that came from the open window, and Ivan looked out to see the magnificent view that the room gave. The summer air was sweet, but not overpowering. Scents from the garden were making Lumi restless, he knew, yet he couldn't help but keep her indoors – to himself – before the night began. "All I can say is that a dinner by the moon is sufficient enough." She looked up at him, her eyes wide with childish wonder.

"Really?" he nodded.

"Yes, you must look your best tonight – not that you don't every night… but this one is special. Make sure you wear the dress you first wore, yes?" she nodded, and leaned her head against his knee.

"Okay, Ivan. I will. Do you want me to wear the mask again?" he chuckled, remembering.

"No, no. No masks this night. I want to see your beauty in the moonlight," _for the final time_, she was blushing, a light pink. He patted her on the head. "Remember, the dress you first wore." He made to move, and she scampered out of his path.

"You have to go?" she asked quietly, and Ivan nodded. Lumi sighed dejectedly, "Okay, but come back soon, please? It's so quiet here… no one really talks to me…" she trailed off as Ivan patted her head again. She gave a quiet smile, to which he chuckled at.

"Don't worry, pet," he soothed, "I'll be back soon, don't fret. I would never leave you." He watched as she scampered and perched upon the couch. Ivan smiled softly, knowing that Lumi felt like she was being abandoned, "I'll return soon, pet. Remember the dress." Ivan winked as her eyes widen, and nodded rapidly and mock saluted.

"Yes sir, I won't forget!" he chuckled, closing the door behind him. The smile slipped as soon as the door behind him closed, and his boots made an eerie resound as he walked away from the door that held the one person who meant anything to him. The once warm, energetic violet eyes turned cold and unfeeling. An emotion of a void opening up somewhere was bothering him. Why could he not feel it – the fire that once was ignited by this little nightingale that he caught? Was it because he had finally gained her trust – was it because she no longer refused him?

No… it was something else.

Ivan looked out to the garden, and his eyes widened a little. _Ah… that was it._ It was the main reason as to why he had brought her here in the first place. He sighed, however, and turned his back on the servants that were hard at work. He slid into the kitchen, and smiled softly at the blood spray that stained the walls. Two down, four to go; it would be just him and Lumi now, in this big house – alone. Mathieu had secluded himself in the chapel, where most likely he would kill that young woman he had an eye on. What was her name…? _Erin_. Ivan couldn't help it.

The feeling that he had been holding back came loose, breaking the chains and flowing forth like a tidal wave. Giddy and drunk with such flawless, corrupt feeling; it made Ivan feel invincible. He gave a low chuckle, but it soon grew louder, to the point where he was giving a sinister laugh, and slowly he began to calm down. He began to walk back towards the garden, the high windows illuminating his path, humming a tune under his breath, before speaking aloud to himself, another chuckle escaping.

"Tonight will be _fun_, won't it my pet?"

-/-

"Erin, I found a way to leave." Said person jumped, startled by the slamming of the door.

"Shh," Erin put a finger to her lips, "I'm trying to hear if Ivan said anything that could be useful." She put her ear to the glass that was pressed against the wall, and frowned. "I can't believe it, Lumi's… acting weird." Mathieu came over, joining her.

"Weird? How so," Erin frowned, extremely worried, and puzzled.

"She's actually talking to him – like she's gone off the deep end. Lumi would never let the man near her, but she's changed… she seems to hang onto his every word. Perhaps… well, it could be possible…" Erin trailed off, and suddenly smacked her forehead, and sighed exasperatedly. "Of course;" Erin shook her head sadly, as if she had lost someone, "she's developed the Stockholm syndrome!" Mathieu gave her a look of pure confusion.

"Stockholm syndrome," Of course Mathieu knew what it was, but he was playing for time, "isn't that where the kidnapped devotes themselves to their kidnapper?" Erin nodded.

"Yeah, it's pretty nasty. Poor thing," Erin began to fidget, trying to figure out another way through this. If they hadn't been so late on getting this plan together, they might have been able to save her… but then the wrath of Ivan… no – Ivan wouldn't kill Lumi, he would just knock her out, and then kill the both of them. He was an unstoppable object – there was no end to his malignant presence. Mathieu watched her, and quietly came to a decision.

"We have to leave her, Erin." Pained blue eyes shot up to meet his, but he pressed on. "It's too late – she won't go willingly now. We have to make it out on our own. Both of them would have wanted it, and you know it." Mathieu grasped her hands, hoping she would see what he was trying to tell her. "Lumi may be under his spell, but at least we can get out – and never return. We would disappear, not even take our places back – they could find replacements for us." Erin bit her lip.

"But… I can't just leave Lumi here… there might be a way we could still save her." She argued, as Mathieu shook his head, and said quietly.

"Listen, this may be hard to take, but Lumi is gone from us now. Ivan and I were talking last night. She's completely devoted to him – she won't leave for anything. Don't forget, Ivan has her under lock and key, and he would be furious if his 'pet'" he cringed at the term, "disappeared. He would know it was us, and forget about killing us Erin!" he pulled her closely and hugged her tightly. "Ivan can do much worse than kill people. I've seen the torture the servants who cross him go through. I couldn't wish that on anyone – especially you." Erin shivered, but sighed in defeat.

"Fine… we'll leave her." Mathieu held her closer.

"I'm sorry; I know you two were close, but…"

"She isn't the same anymore, I know." Erin tried to stop the tears, but couldn't. She sobbed as Mathieu comforted her. In the space of six long, cruel months, her friends were gone. No one was there for her anymore – no one but Mathieu. It was him who helped her through the first month – telling her that he was working under orders, and that he didn't want to do what the others were doing (beating the girls into submission in their own way). Mathieu was the one who came up with the idea to run away from here, and the two of them spent the remaining five labouring over the plans, but Mathieu had to keep up the appearance of "being in control."

"Erin, comon', it's time to go." Erin sniffled, and nodded weakly. She didn't say anything as she smoothed the wrinkles out of her dress. It was the only way to get out of the room without raising any questions if they accidentally ran into Ivan prowling in the hallways. She raised her knuckles to tap on the wall, but hesitated. "Go ahead, say goodbye." Mathieu said softly, squeezing her other hand assumingly.

_Tap, tap. _She paused, then. _Tap. _

_Goodbye, Lumi. _

-/-

"Hmm," Lumi woke up to see the afternoon light trickle through her window. Something had woken up from her nap, and she found herself sleeping on the bed, even though she had no recollection of ever sleeping on it. However, that wasn't her problem. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she searched for the source of waking her up; nothing… how odd. She glanced around, her eyes half open, and realised with a jolt that Ivan was in her room. He was standing at the window, his back to her. Suddenly, he turned and she started.

"You're awake; I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" she shook her head no.

"No… I heard something… I think. Someone was saying goodbye." Ivan raised an eyebrow at this, and moved to sit on the bed. Lumi automatically crawled and sat next to him. "It was weird; I heard her voice… kept saying goodbye, over and over. She was crying too." Ivan looked over at Lumi, studying her carefully. There had been no one speaking in her room. Unless…

"Do you know who it was?" Ivan asked, and unfortunately, she shook her head no.

"Sorry, I don't. It's… fuzzy." Lumi frowned, and Ivan sighed, and patted her head.

"It's alright, pet. Don't hurt yourself over something so trivial." _Mathieu is on the move, eh? Must be careful to keep pet here out of sight… some things just _explode _under pressure after all. _Ivan thought, but gave her a smile. "I hope you don't mind me intruding into your room, but I found you on the floor, so I moved you onto the bed. I was leaving when the sunset distracted me," she gave a small smile, but it disappeared as she looked out the window, where the light was fading.

"Ivan… why do I feel like I'll never see that person again," _Your memories are already fading away? Perfect… _"It's… weird, and sad. Ivan, is there something wrong with me?" _No, pet there is nothing wrong with you. You are being what I wanted – obedient, and confused. This delicious tincture, drink from it. _He reached out and cupped her cheek, moving so that he could stare into her eyes.

"There is nothing wrong with you, my pet." He kissed her forehead gently. "Now, get ready. I will see you later." Lumi nodded quietly.

"Okay, 'bye Ivan." He smiled, and flicked her nose playfully.

"Cheer up, pet. You don't want to ruin the wonderful evening." She gave him a weak smile.

"I will, don't worry about me."

-/-

"This is where we'll hide." Mathieu said, pulling Erin through the door. They just narrowly escaped a close encounter with a slave, who had questioned the reasoning behind Mathieu's taking Erin out of her lodgings. It was a quaint chapel, high stained windows, with the pews mysteriously absent. "Ivan would never think that we would have hidden here."

"Where are the pews?" Erin asked, and then realised that must've been a silly question to ask. They were on the run from Ivan, to get the hell out of there, and she's asking where the pews were. _Right, nice job_, she told herself. This was hard – having to fake being an obedient doll (that made her inwardly cringe) while the servants looked like mindless puppets. Mathieu acted his part rather well – _too _well – and he was damn sexy when he did that, she decided with a light blush.

"We had them removed when we bought the place." Mathieu said quietly, "Because there was no point. Ivan hadn't planned on weddings – he planned deaths. Ever read _And Then There Were None_ by Agatha Christie? That's what he wanted to do pretty much." Mathieu shivered. "A psychopath… I don't know why he made me go through with his plans. He convinced Yao by whispering in his ear all the horrible things that he told me about Yu; and then he did the same with me… I'm sorry Erin; I shouldn't have listened to him." Erin was wandering around, in awe of the chapel and the windows. Quietly, he slipped a chain over the doors, locking it in place.

There was no escape now.

"Mathieu, when are we – Mathieu?" Erin turned to see Mathieu standing in front of the door, a dagger in hand. Erin felt hysteria nearby, but kept it at bay. "Mathieu, why are you holding a dagger?" she began to back away slowly. "Mathieu…" she whispered.

"Erin, you are a fool – to believe me," he said quietly, and Erin tripped, landing rather hard on the stone.

"Wha, what do you mean?" she asked, as he threw the dagger at her. With a scream, she raised her arms to protect herself, earning a deep gash as it grazed her arm. "Mathieu, why are you…?" tears rolled down her cheek as Mathieu advanced, and she moved back. "No, no Mathieu please don't –"

"Tell me, was he lying, Erin? Were you secretly dating Alfred without even bothering to tell me to get lost? Huh? Did you not have the guts to tell me to my face that you didn't want me?" he shouted, grabbing another dagger from his belt. "You played your little tricks on my heart, and then you tossed it aside!"

"What are you talking about – Mathieu, I never –"

"Don't. Lie to me." Erin got up and began to run, which prompted Mathieu to pursue her. "Don't. Ever _lie _to me; Erin." He snarled, his violet eyes flashing with murderous intent. Before Erin could even register as to what had happened, she saw scarlet. She fell to the ground, her blood pooling and staining her dress. Blood spattered all over Mathieu, covering his hands. In a dazed state, he licked at it: sweet, if not a bit salty… his vision blurred, and the next thing he knew was that he was collapsed, kneeling in Erin's blood, crying. "What have I… what have I…?" he whispered to himself. He didn't want this – no, no, _no_. This was wrong – what did he just do? Why couldn't… why couldn't…

_Why couldn't I stop? _"Ma…Mathieu…" he heard someone whisper. He wiped the tears away, mingling with the blood. "Mat… I… I never…" Mathieu's vision came back to see Erin lying on the steps, a weak smile in place.

"Why are you smiling," he asked, desperately trying to figure out how to keep her alive. He moved so that her head was in her lap, and he cradled her as if she were the upmost important person. "Why are you smiling, even though I, I…" he couldn't say it. He couldn't say it, and the only one he ever cared for was lying in a pool of blood and by his hand! "Why –"

"It… It's ok, Mat… thieu…" she whispered brokenly, still smiling. "I nev… never strayed… strayed…" he put a finger to her lips.

"Don't speak, I'll… I'll try to find a way to keep you alive, Erin. I promise." He whispered, and she laughed weakly.

"I'm beyond sav… saving, Mathieu. Just… hear me… hear me out." A coughing spasm seized her, and blood came up. "I love… I love you… Mathieu… I never… _not once_ did I… did I chose… chose Alfred over you…" she gave a faint smile. "It's time… isn't it?"

"No, no don't leave me, Erin." Mathieu screamed, tears blurring his vision. "Don't leave me, not again." He looked frantically for something – _anything_ – but alas, nothing could be done. Erin was leaving.

"Silly… I'll always be…" her breathing stopped, and Mathieu officially snapped.

-/-

Ivan heard the cry of anguish from his perch in the attic window, and smiled faintly. "The chess pieces are falling into place." He mused to himself, moving a white piece, and over taking it with his queen. "Soon the knight will die," he knocked the piece over, and it fell to the ground, "and the King and Queen will rest in their eternal slumber." Ivan then knocked over his King and Queen; then looked up to see the sun fully set; the moon just showing itself above the horizon. He gave a lazy, sinister smile.

"Eventually, the curtain will fall upon this condemned play."


	12. Chapter 12 - The Final Act

**Chapter Twelve–**

**The Final Act **

Warnings: Violence, Character Deaths

Note: Unless you people revel in extreme violence, please don't read this. If you do, then **you** need to see a therapist or something. Also, I think this chapter has to be the scariest one for me to ever write.

Ever

-/-

This was it – the final act; the end of a long play. Curtain fall – yet the cast will never come forth for the call. Everyone would be snug in their places, too busy asleep to bother. Footsteps resounded in the deserted hallway, keeping in time with the ticking of an imaginary clock. Tonight would be the end, the end of the game – the chess pieces just needed to get into place. A grin, a velvet and sinister smirk, could be seen.

"Perhaps it is time." Ivan mused to himself, watching the full moon in the sky. "The pieces are together, the chessboard is set." He continued on his way, to the room that held the final piece. The Queen – or rather, the little Romanian nightingale that sang her sweet song. The Canadian would be out of the way, Ivan would make sure of that. The Russian began to hum a tune under his breath, briefly wondering if the full moon was going to be slightly chipped tonight.

-/-

Ivan smiled at Lumi, and she timidly smiled back. The servants were done, he knew. However, he had it to where she was facing him, so that she wouldn't question what shouldn't be questioned. A scream ripped through the air, and Lumi looked around curiously. "What was that?" she whispered, and Ivan sighed. Figures, the Canadian got sentimental, again. He stood up to leave. "Where are you going, Ivan? You aren't leaving me aren't you?" Ivan smiled, _such a worried little pet, she is,_ he thought.

"I won't be gone long, don't worry a bit." He walked over and began to stroke her hair lovingly. "Also, would you mind if I blindfolded you?" _Of course you wouldn't, love. _She smiled timidly again. Her eyes were full of trust and life… and he held in the desire to kiss her.

"I don't mind… is there a surprise?" she asked. Ivan nodded.

"Yes and quite a surprise it will be. That's why I want to blindfold you, so when you wake up you'll see it." Ivan watched her, even now, at this most crucial moment; Lumi could falter and say no.

But she didn't, just as the Russian had predicted.

"… Alright," she conceded, and Ivan pulled a black cloth out from his sleeve. She closed her eyes as he wrapped it around her head, careful not to touch the earrings she wore. That would pull on her ears, and he knew it would hurt. "Will you come back soon?" she whispered, scared. Ivan smiled, even though she couldn't see him.

"Of course I will, love. I won't ever leave you."

_We will go to the grave together, my pet. _

-/-

Mathieu let loose another scream as he held Erin's body close. _It's… it's not fair! _He thought, tears blurring his vision. _It's not fair! _He kept whispering, "Wake up, Erin… wake up," over and over, trying to make sense of the situation. Why did this have to happen? There should've been another way! _There had to have been a way to save her!_

"Why, why, why, why, _why_?" he asked himself, and finally snapped back to reality. Quickly, he picked up Erin's body and placed her before the cross that had been the only object in the room. The dying light radiated the last rays from the stained glass on her, making it seem like she had been accepted into Heaven. Mathieu had to smile at that, however small the smile was. "I won't forgive him, Erin. I'll avenge your death, even though it had been done by my own hand. I'll find redemption… I'll save her, for you." He turned to leave and picked up the dagger.

It was time to get revenge.

Stalking through the corridors, Mathieu made his way towards the garden. He had to stop Ivan; he had to stop the horror that would occur. _For you, Erin; only for you_, he thought, banishing the thought of tears. _I have to stay strong. I can't falter now – it would seem weak if I ran away. They would find out anyways… everything would trace back to us. I can't let that happen. _He paused by the door that opened to the unused portion of the garden, near where the corpse of the Interpol guy floated. He steeled himself, and crept outside.

No one was around, which was not unusual, as Ivan most likely had her on the west side of the garden, where he had the grave already dug out and the coffin waiting. Slowly, he crept through the garden, careful not to draw attention to himself. Mathieu eventually strayed into the area where he spotted Lumi sitting down, blindfolded. Cautiously, he made his way over to her – maybe he could save her, and then he paused in his tracks. This could be a trick, he thought, and he backed away quietly, so that she couldn't hear him. As much as it pained him, he had to leave her behind… for now. After he killed Ivan he'd drag her out of here, out of this hell.

The Canadian made his way back into the manor, stepping carefully to reduce the noise he made on the tiles. The servants had already disappeared, as Mathieu hadn't encountered any of them. He froze as his cell phone began to vibrate in his pocket. _Ivan_, he thought, pulling out the cell. Indeed, it was Ivan. He had sent him a message.

_**Meet me, yes, in five minutes; the attic. **_

Mathieu, with a grim determination that he never had before; snapped his cell shut. This was it, he realised; heading towards the attic. Normally, no one would dare go up there, as Ivan had set up his base of operations there. Apparently Ivan was desperate enough to spare Lumi of the carnage… how ironic. Mathieu knew that this was the end: but who would win?

Mathieu hoped to God it was him.

-/-

Ivan stood waiting patiently, his trusty pipe in hand. His eyes glowed in the darkness, as the fading light receded from the attic window. He had to admit, the Canadian had spine, for trying to touch his pet. He had watched the young man's progress from the window, and had to fight the desire to jump down and bash his skull in when he got close to Lumi, but he did the smart thing. He avoided her, and had slipped back into the manor. That's when Ivan had sent the text message, and waited with his back to the door, watching Lumi sit there. He had to admit, she looked pathetic and weak, easy prey. He grinned wolfishly, he could almost sense her fear, it was a sweet tang, almost like victory but sweeter. Ivan heard knocking at the door, and turned around slowly.

"Enter," he said calmly, his face a clean slate – no emotion whatsoever. Emotions were considered weak, yet for Lumi's sake he wore them. But for others… they didn't deserve them… no one, but his pet. Mathieu entered, a dagger tarnished with blood in hand. Ivan grinned. "How easy was it, Mathieu, to kill her?" he inquired, earning a wave of rage from the Canadian.

"Shut up," he spat, and the dagger glinted red. "It's your fault! Had we not done this –"

"You know perfectly well that it was not mine, yes. After all, _he _was your brother. He started this," he spread his arms out to their surroundings, "and I will end it."

"But if we hadn't done this, we would've at least had a happy ending!" Mathieu countered, stepping forward. Ivan raised his pipe threateningly, warning Mathieu to back down.

He didn't.

"We could've saved them from this, Ivan! We didn't have to listen to my brother!" Mathieu shouted, tears threatening to fall. Ivan, however, seemed amused by this. "What's so funny?!" the Canadian demanded.

"The fact that you're defending your brother; I guess blood is thicker than water, yes?" Ivan raised the pipe, "Would you like to test that theory?" Mathieu stood his ground, he was done being ignored, done being considered the weakest.

He was done with taking orders.

"Why don't we," Mathieu said, holding the dagger in front of him in a defensive gesture, "and see whose blood runs first." Ivan grinned maliciously, as the sun set in a blood-red bath of colours.

"I'm so glad you asked, yes."

-/-

As Ivan left, Lumi began to fleetingly wonder why Ivan meant 'when she woke up.' After all, that wasn't normal of him… but then again, she admitted to herself, not even she knew why Ivan did such things. After the incident with that Interpol guy, the Romanian had decided that whatever evil was out there, Ivan was the lesser of the comparison, and stuck close to him. She hadn't meant to fallen into the obedient doll… it just happened. She then realised that there was someone around… someone watching her. But how; the servants had disappeared during the dinner, she knew that. There was someone else here.

The evening wind was cool, and she felt shivers go up her arms. It was just her imagination, she decided. Ivan would be back soon, and everything would end up being alright. Yeah, that's it… so why did she feel uneasy? A distinct noise was heard, tires? Was there a visitor, at this hour? Lumi asked herself, but then decided that was a faulty idea. Hopefully it was just her mind playing tricks, but the screeching halt and the engine being cut was unfortunately, real. She clenched her hands tight, and hung her head. She didn't want to leave this place. She felt safe here, with Ivan. If anyone took her away… no, Lumi; don't think about that.

"Hello?" she called out tentatively and she heard the crunch of gravel as the sound of footsteps, two of them, came closer. There was a whispered conversation, and someone patted her head. "Whose there?" she asked, her voice quivering. Ivan wasn't here to protect her this time, she realised, there was no one. The last thing she heard before blacking out was the distinct sound of a German accent…

-/-

"I warned you, da." Ivan murmured quietly, dropping the pipe to the floor, which fell with a clatter. The blood pooled in some areas, and stained his clothes. He looked out the window to see that the sun had fully set, and the full moon was beginning to rise. It was time. He began to wipe his hands of the imaginary dust that had settled on his hands, and walked down the stairs. Lumi wouldn't mind a little blood; after all, she used to see him coated in the stuff when he was torturing the interloper. One time he actually took her to such thing, and she mysteriously grew a morbid interest in it, her eyes lit up every time he told her of such things.

And they say that even the pure couldn't be corrupted.

As he walked in the empty manor to the woman he left outside, Ivan began to think. The moon was surely chipped. Perhaps it was just an idea, a muse, he thought whimsically. He walked outside, expecting to see Lumi sitting patiently where he left her; not the scene before him.

There was a man, one he recognized as the representative of Germany – Ludwig, if memory served him correctly – and Ivan narrowed his eyes. _How dare he_, the Russian thought darkly, _first that German pest worms his way in, and he dares touches _my _pet? He will not live to see the sun rise. _Ivan pulled out the revolver that he had hidden in his jacket. Apparently, the man hadn't noticed Ivan at the door, which was a good thing. He kept talking to someone, someone he couldn't see…

"And what do you think you are doing, yes? Touching my pet?" Ivan announced himself, aiming the revolver at the German. He noticed that Lumi wasn't responding to his voice, and a cold wave of anger washed over him. "Let her go, if you wish to live." Why wasn't Lumi responding? What is going on? He heard the _click _of the hammer being pulled back, and felt the cool metal of the barrel from a gun at the back of his skull. Dropping the gun, Ivan inquired to the person behind him. "Brought help, did you?"

"Of course I did, you bastard, I won't let you kill another friend of mine." Yu said calmly, as Ludwig walked past the pair.

"Tell me, Yu of Singapore, how did you survive, yes?" Ivan asked, and heard the Singaporean laugh.

"The thing that both of you constantly forgot was that one detail: I was a pirate, goddamn it. I know all the tricks in the book on how to survive."

"Yet you fell into the pond, from the roof." He couldn't see it, but Ivan knew she was smirking.

"There are tricks of the trade that I can't tell. After all, I _was _a pirate. I have an oath of secrecy" Ivan frowned; he had actually forgotten that Yu was a pirate. Instead of arguing back, he decided to wheedle out a plea instead, and hoped it would work.

"If you're going to kill me, then at least give me the honour to say goodbye." Ivan wasn't given a reply, and was grabbed by the arm holding the revolver, forcing him to drop it. He was then whirled around to face the car, where Ludwig had the door open, where he could see his pet, sleeping calmly. Ivan gave a small smile; she was so innocent… he knew that Lumi would never betray him. "Goodbye, my pet." He murmured, and Ludwig shut the door. Yu then frog marched him to where the coffin laid, with the gun still pointed at his head.

"This is for the people you've killed," Yu muttered. "Death is too kind of a punishment for a monster like you." Ivan gave a simple laugh.

"Dear girl, you honestly think this is the end of your troubles? This is simply the beginning." Ivan said; his final words before Yu shot him. The Russian fell forward, landing face first in the coffin, where Ludwig shut it with his foot. He then, with the help of Yu, began to cover the coffin.

"Vhat now?" he asked, as they finished. Yu merely placed two crosses in silence. "Vhy zwei crosses?"

"To throw off whoever set this thing up." She replied.

"But Ivan –"

"Ivan was a pawn;" Yu said simply, "there's someone else pulling the strings… but for now, let's go back. We've done what we can… we ended this game." Ludwig looked at the Singaporean curiously, but didn't push it.

_**I call Checkmate. **_


	13. Epilogue – The End of a Gruesome Play

**Epilogue – The End of a Gruesome Play**

Warnings: Mindfuckery

Note: Hurrah; the epilogue has chanced upon us, and guess what: there's gonna be a sequel of this bat-shit insane story!

Keep an eye for it, for it will surely be _bewitching_. ;)

Also, there will be an extra posted after this chapter. It's a timeline of the events in this series.

-/-

"Gilbert, we need to go back." Arthur said kindly, standing beside the German with an umbrella. "We have to report –"

"Dudes, get outta here – there's a fire!" Alfred called out, running towards them. Indeed, the manor was ablaze with flame. "Didn't ya hear me?! Get the fuck outta here!" he tugged on Arthur's arm, who in turned grabbed Gilbert by the collar and dragged the distraught man out of the path of the blaze.

"How in the world did it start?" the Englishman asked, and Alfred gave an 'I don't know' answer.

"I was in the study when I noticed that there had been a tripwire. I must've tripped it while entering. Whatever went on in there, those guys definitely didn't want anyone to find out. I just hope that Mattie's ok." Arthur sighed.

"Don't you know anything about entering a place like this? You precede with caution you twat." Alfred glared at him.

"Shut up Arthur! How do you know?! For all _I _know is that Mattie is in there!"

"Then why aren't you looking for him?" Alfred looked hurt by the accusation.

"I tried man, I tried. The flames got too big and I was beginning to run out of air to breathe." He coughed to prove the point. Arthur rolled his eyes.

"I'm assuming you didn't bother looking for Erin while you were in there, did you?" Alfred gave him a quizzical look.

"Erin? Who the hell is Erin?" he asked, and Arthur smacked himself in the face. What was he going to do with that idiotic man?!

"Erin," he snapped, "is my daughter; representative of British Columbia. Remember?" Alfred gave the Englishman a strange look, and then shrugged.

"Nope, don't remember her." Arthur wanted to throttle the man. However, Gilbert finally came around and blinked.

"Vhy are zhere flames?" he asked, and Arthur glared at Alfred.

"_This_ idiot," he spat, "tripped a wire, causing the flames."

"Dude, look, I'm sorry. It wasn't my fault I didn't see it. Whoever placed it was crafty enough to keep it hidden." The fire roared, and Arthur finally sighed.

"Well, whatever. We'll come back later, in case there's anything left that we can salvage." Gilbert was heading towards a building that seemed to be made out of stone. "Where are you going Gilbert?" Arthur asked, as he followed the man.

"Zhe chapel, it is made of stone, no? Vhy not stay zhere?" Arthur nodded.

"That's a right good idea, coming Alfred?" he asked, and the American shook out of his reverie.

"Yeah, sure, comin'," Arthur looked at the American curiously. He was almost sure that he seemed to be _enjoying _the fact that the manor was burning, as if there was something that the American hadn't told them… but his doofy smile was back in place soon after, Arthur wondered if he imagined it.

-/-

"Why hasn't she woken up yet?" Yu asked herself, checking on the Romanian sleeping for the umpteenth time. "It's been three days, comon Lumi," told the sleeping young woman, who kept sleeping on. She sat beside her friend once more, as Ludwig knocked. She hadn't slept either, and she knew what the German would say. Yu shook her head stubbornly. She wasn't going to leave her friend like this.

"Get some sleep," Ludwig said, holding a magazine. "I'll watch over."

"No, I can't… what if she wakes up and attacks you?" the German looked at her, insulted.

"Are you saying zhat I cannot protect myself?" Yu shook her head.

"No, I'm saying that she might go psycho on us again." Ludwig sighed, dropping the magazine by the chair and placing a hand on the Singaporean's shoulder.

"Sleep; I'll vake you if zhere are any changes." Yu groaned, but relented. Standing, she stretched and got out of Ludwig's way.

"It's strange how in three months… it's come to this." Yu said quietly, and Ludwig nodded, and sighed.

"Ve are fortunate zhat she is still alive." He said, and Yu nodded.

"'Night," She muttered, smothering a yawn. "Wake me if there's a change."

"You know I vill."

-/-

The fire was spreading, but the chapel seemed to be holding well. It was nice and cool, dark within the chapel. The glass had been blown out, with no one around to care for them. The rain was creating puddles around the altar, which was shrouded in shadows. Gilbert had curled in a corner, far from the pair and closer to the altar, a sense of depression had settled around him. His sister… his sweet, caring, gentle sister… she was dead. His head, his heart, everything felt empty. Detached from puppet strings, his soul seemed to despair. He watched the rain hit the floor in front of him, and his gaze seemed to automatically go up to the altar.

Curiosity got to the better of him.

Getting up with a groan, he walked over to the altar, and covered his nose. What was that _smell_? It smelled like… his eyes widened. _Could it be –? _He stepped closer, earning the discreet attention from the American and Englishman. Gilbert reached out, and touched cloth. Curious, he got closer… until the image of a young woman got to him. Bile rose in his throat, and he raced back to the corner he had been in, retching until nothing came up, and he was dry heaving. Arthur walked over, just as Gilbert reached over, "Nien! Don't look at her!"

Too late, "Er…" Arthur felt himself begin to lose the feeling in his legs. He sank to the floor, his eyes confused, pain and unanswered questions began to flood his mind. "Erin… why… who…?" tears began to flow, unstoppable, incomprehensible. Why was Erin… it couldn't be Erin… no… it was someone, a stunt double! Erin was alive!

… She had to be alive…

"Dude, Arthur, you okay?" asked Alfred, and Arthur began to shake uncontrollably. Fear, anger, pain… they rolled into one. He ignored the American. She had to be alive… there wasn't a possible doubt that she was alive. But reality was cruel and harsh… Gilbert moved away, giving Arthur some space, dragging the annoying American away from the grieving parent. "What, I was just wanting too –"

"Nien let him grieve." Gilbert said quietly, "Ve all lost someone."

"But Mattie's alive!"

"Nien, he is not. He's dead, Alfred, zhe sooner you grasp zhat thought, zhe better." Alfred glared at the German.

"How do you know; you haven't seen him – no one has! He could've gotten out of here alive!"

"But he also vould've taken zhe young woman vith him," Gilbert said quietly, as Arthur dragged himself to the altar. "And ve all have zhe right to grieve." The pair watched as the Englishman began muttering to him, incomprehensible and delirious. "I zhink zhat zhe sooner ve get out of here, zhe best everything vill be." Alfred slid a narrowed looked at the German, calculating. His brother surely is dead, he knew that. Surprisingly, he wasn't all that upset, he just pretended to be. Why bother, he thought, when he was going to be left alone anyways?

Eventually, Alfred walked over, and placed a hand on his shoulder, his head bowed to show that he was grieving. Gilbert looked at him suspiciously, but then turned his gaze to the fire that was finally dwindling to a stop. "I'm sorry that she died…" Arthur shook his hand off.

"She isn't dead, Alfred, she can't be dead." He gave the American a cold look. "She isn't dead."

"Arthur," Gilbert snapped, "Zhis isn't zhe place to argue! Ve need to get back and tell Vest about zhe situation." Arthur nodded slowly, and looked back at Erin. "Look, ve need you to come too, Arthur. Ve aren't leaving you here."

"Yeah dude, we need someone to report to the UN remember? It was your idea and you're the team leader. You _have _to give a report." Arthur sighed deeply, and then nodded slowly.

"Alright, I'll go." Alfred grinned, and Arthur sighed again. "Your insufferable cheeriness is going to ruin me, Alfred." The American laughed and slapped the Englishman on the back.

"That's what I'm here for dude!"

-/-

When Gilbert and Alfred showed up at Ludwig's house, he was already waiting for them. He seemed to be grim, and as soon as the pair entered the house, he sat them down. "Vhat happened?" he asked, "Is anyone?" the reply was a shake of the head. "… I see…" silence and Alfred fidgeted. There was something about this place that set his nerve off, like there was a secret being held here.

Something that would undo the American's hard work

"So, vhat vas zhere," Ludwig asked, and Gilbert sighed.

"Nothing, nothing but an empty house; Alfred tripped a vire and set the place on fire. Zhe chapel houses one corpse, an Erin Weatherfield, daughter of Arthur. Out back, a skeleton vas chained to a pair of boats; ve could see it bobbing in the water." He paused. "Zhen…"

"Then Gilbert found the graves of Ivan and Lumi." Alfred finished, when it came apparent that Gilbert wasn't going to finish his sentence. Ludwig nodded slowly.

"I see," was the reply. He finally stood, and called out, "It is safe to come out." The pair gave him an identical quizzed look, and the door opened to reveal Yu of Singapore.

"You," Alfred shouted, shock causing him to drop the façade, "What are you doing alive?! You should be dead!" Yu shrugged, and gave him an uneasy glare.

"I was a pirate, or did everyone forget about that?" Gilbert laughed, but his eyes still showed pain. She gave Ludwig an uneasy one-eyed glance. "Should I…?" Ludwig shook his head no, and that caused the pair to be curious as to what they're talking about. "He needs to know, Ludwig. We can't leave him in the dark forever!" Ludwig sighed.

"Fine," Yu turned to Gilbert.

"Follow me. Alfred, you stay there."

"What, why does he get to go but I have to stay?!" that was obviously Alfred.

"Because it doesn't concern you!" she snapped, and then she turned her gaze back to Gilbert, "Are you coming or not?" Gilbert nodded, standing up.

"Lead zhe vay." He replied, following eagerly.

-/-

"Ever since we…" Yu sighed, staring at the sleeping young woman sadly, Gilbert looked like he was ready to faint, and Ludwig was at the door, guarding it in case anyone unsavoury showed up. "Ever since we told her that Ivan was dead… and that we had saved her… she didn't believe us. She began to act odd."

"Odd how," Gilbert asked, regaining control. He moved to the other side of the bed, grasping Lumi's hand firmly. He wasn't going to go anywhere now, not with his sister like this. "How odd," Yu grimaced.

"Odd enough that… well, let's start from the beginning." Yu paused, unsure as to how continue on. Finally, she sighed and continued, "Well, ever since we brought her back here, and explained the situation and told her that we killed Ivan, she began to…" she trailed off, and Ludwig picked up from where she stopped.

"She began to have nightmares, vaking up in the middle of the night. Zhere vere times where she broke things, or one of us found her valking around." Ludwig paused, and Yu spoke up.

"She eventually got around to speaking rationally, asking us if we had any of the items from the manor, or more specifically, something of Ivan's. We didn't." she added at Gilbert's expression. "But she kept asking. Eventually the questions stopped, and we thought she turned to normal, despite walking around late at night and calling out for the man. But one night…" here, Yu stopped talking, and looked over at Ludwig. "One night, we heard Roderich scream in pain. Ludwig and I went in the parlour to find that Lumi had attacked him. She had a bloodied knife in her hand, her eyes were… Gilbert, it was as if something in Lumi had snapped inside." Yu shivered, remembering that night. She had run into the room, to find Lumi standing over the injured man to see her smile absentmindedly, as if she _enjoyed_ the sight of blood.

Gilbert looked down at the sleeping young woman, curious as to why she would do such a thing. "Vhy?" he asked, finally looking up. He bore Roderich no ill will, they would fight sometimes, but it was all in good fun nowadays, "vhy would she do such a thing?"

"Vhen we asked her vhy she attacked him; Lumi gave us an innocent look, almost childish, and smiled at us. She replied, "He got in my vay." Gilbert that alone terrified me." Ludwig and Yu shared a glance that Gilbert noticed it was one that screamed 'what else can we do,' "zhat vasn't Lumi who answered me, Gilbert; zhat vas someone else. However, zhere vasn't a repeated incident; Roderich is alright, by the way. He suffered only shallow vounds, and Lumi didn't have any memories of the incident either."

"Soon after that," Yu finished the story, "Lumi went to bed one night, and she hasn't wakened since." She balled her hand into a fist. "That bastard; he's destroyed her," tears began to fall as the frustration overwhelmed the Singaporean. "She can't think for herself anymore; Gilbert, if she ever wakes up, she won't be the same. It's like… It's like Ivan brainwashed her!"

Silence, then Gilbert slammed a fist into the wall, leaving a dent in the plaster, "Zhat bastard," he growled, "How could he do zhat? He had no right!" Yu sighed.

"We've tried everything, Gilbert. There isn't anything we can do to help her. She's closed her mind to us. She'll probably never wake up."

"She's in God's hands now," was Ludwig's solemn reply, as the trio sat there in silence, never noticing their uninvited guest lurking at the doorway.

-/-

_I'll kill him, _the spirit swore,_ I'll become the most powerful being ever – I won't rest until Alfred's head is on a platter… but I won't stop there. No… I want to avenge them all. We didn't deserve this. _

No one deserved the horrors that went on in that place.


	14. EXTRA - Timeline

**Chapter 14: EXTRA! Timeline!**

**The timeline is in chronological order from the flashbacks to present day. Meaning, from the kidnappings to the end, the timeline follows as such.**

- Lumi, Yu, Erin get kidnapped; each on a separate day.

- A month later, the men decide to hold a Masquerade Ball, the Interpol officer botches it.

- Lumi gets silent for another three weeks; meanwhile, Ivan is interrogating the Interpol officer. Erin and Mathieu begin planning their "escape".

- Events of five months are not mentioned, but during such time Lumi begins developing Stockholm syndrome, and the Interpol officer dies after being tortured and eventually shot through the heart (after his balls were shot off by Ivan). Erin and Mathieu are still planning their "escape." They get a visit by the one who set this all up (Alfred).

- Sixth month rolls around, Yu and Yao start fighting. Yu falls to her "death" and Yao kills himself by sipping tea. The blood in the kitchen, mentioned in chapter 12, is from a servant who accidentally pissed off Ivan by asking Lumi questions.

- Halfway through the sixth month, Erin and Mathieu finally "escape" during the afternoon and Erin is killed in the chapel. Mathieu, hearing her confession of her never straying, snaps. That evening, Lumi and Ivan are having their final dinner, or rather, "The Farewell Dinner". Interrupted by Mathieu, who confronts Ivan about the entire scheme. Mathieu dies; multiple blunt traumas to the head and beatings with a pipe kill him.

- Ivan returns to the dinner to only find that Lumi was gone, being carried away by Ludwig. He tries to stop him, but Yu miraculously survives and after Ivan gets a glimpse of Lumi in the car, sleeping calmly, he smiles and walks willingly to his death. Yu puts in two crosses bearing Ivan's and Lumi's name so that whoever had planned all this would be thrown off the scent of her still alive. Lumi's and Yu's survival is kept secret from the rest of the world by Ludwig for two years.

- Three months later, Lumi slips into a deep-state sleep, after having fits and asking about Ivan. Attacks Roderich in a fit of childish rage, and calmly says "He was in my way". Has no recollection of this evidence. After the attack, Lumi slips into the deep-state sleep three days later; Yu has yet to wake her up.

- Gilbert, Alfred, and Arthur find the mansion in the Black Forest, the main stage. They go around finding evidence of people living there, and they find a note that details everything that happened. Gilbert finds the grave with Ivan and Lumi (supposedly). Alfred starts a fire to keep the rest of the world from figuring out what he had done. Erin's remains have been found.

- They all reunite at Ludwig's house two days later, who doesn't know how to handle the situation. Finally, he lets Yu's survival out to Gilbert and Alfred. Arthur is currently giving a report to the rest of the United Nations. Yu and Ludwig then reveal to Gilbert (and Alfred unknowingly) that Lumi was alive, and explains what happens. Alfred walks away, cursing the fact that he wasn't successful. There were people still alive; this could fall back on him and he would be killed for the crimes he had committed. Therefore, Alfred had a very big problem on his hands.

- Shortly after Alfred finds out that Lumi is alive, she will be moved into the ICU section of the hospital (Not mentioned in _Condemned Devotion_, but will be mentioned in the sequel). A spirit of one of the victims figures out who had done this (at the burned out shell of the manor) and decides to exact revenge on the one who had done this.

**Author's Note: Thank you to all who have followed/reviewed/favourited **_**Condemned Devotion**_**! I highly appreciate every single reader who has at least given my story a chance to take hold of your attention. I'd like to thank the reviewers: LillieHavfrue, Lilith Graves, Ratlah, and PandaFanForLife535, for sticking with the story even though it probably made little to no sense. I'd like to thank the creator of Hetalia, Hidekaz Himaruya for obviously creating the series and allowing the fans to write whatever they felt like (within reasons of course) with his characters! And finally, I'd like to thank my cowriter from deviantART, Sakriphice. She's been a real help in getting this story together (and helping with researching the tortures~), and I am eternally grateful to her. **

**I hope to see you in the next installment! It'll surely be a **_**bewitching**_** ride! ;)**


End file.
